


After Dark

by HoneyBee123



Category: Jaws (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angry Sex, Depression, Drama, F/M, Gen, Hallucinations, Multi, Nightmares, Suicide Attempt, Survivor Guilt, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-06 14:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/736837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyBee123/pseuds/HoneyBee123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone suffers the traumatic event regarding the death of their friends by the shark, and they have to cope with their lives. Characters from JAWS & JAWS 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Father and Son

A month had passed since the shark incident that killed two teenagers on Amity Island and also killed other people too. Because there were no liable witnesses for the other victims, they were declared missing. But the two teen victims were islanders, and many people witnessed the horrible incidents.

Sean Brody still couldn't forget how Marge was devoured by the shark after she put him to safety. It was an image he couldn't erase from his mind. He could still remember how Marge was scratching her fingernails into the sailboat, and holding for her dear life. Somehow, Sean always thought this was his fault. If he didn't fall down to the water, she would still be alive.

Sean woke up in a jolt.

It had been a month since the incident, and yet he always having nightmares about it. If his dad wasn't there to saved him… The eight-year-old boy wiped his tears and sat on his bed. He looked at the alarm clock, which showed it was already 2 AM. He could hear the sound of the ocean from his window. It used to calmed him and put him to sleep. But now, he felt that the ocean was the cruelest place on earth.

He cried, but not loudly. He didn't want to wake up the whole family, but his chest was tightened and he felt a good cry might help.

Somehow his cry was heard by his father, who opened his door slowly. He peeked through the door and watched as his son tried to wipe the tears away. "Sean…"

"I'm okay, dad." He put his head on the pillow and rolled over with his back towards his dad. Martin sighed and watched as his son tried to hide his tears. He gently sat on his bed and hugged his son.

"Come 'ere. I wanna be with you if that's okay." He said while lying down next to him.

"It's okay." He answered with his little voice. He felt safe in his arms, so he closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep. Martin kissed Sean's head and tucked him, while still lying next to him. Not long, Sean was asleep. But Martin was wide awake and stared at the ceiling.

How many times he had to do this? This wasn't something he wanted. How many times he had to fight for his life because there was a monster from the deep wanted to hurt his family? This wouldn't go away so easily. Martin prayed that this would be the last time he had to fight for his dignity, his pride, his safety and his family's safety, the town, and that damn city council.


	2. Son and Father

Larry Jr. was drinking and smoking in the bar alone. The bartender, a blonde-haired woman named Helen glared at him. "Larry, you're not supposed to be here. You're underage, I could lose my bar license. I let you and your friends hang out here, playing some arcades as long you aren't drinking alcohol."

Larry glared back. "What are you, my mother? Just gimme another beer."

"I think you had enough." Larry glanced beside him and scoffed. His father, Larry Vaughn Sr. was standing beside him. "Your mother is worried about you, and she wants you to come home." Larry didn't answer, but merely blew up smoking rings.

"Let me drown in this sorrow first, dad." Larry glared to his dad. "My friends got killed, and I almost turned into a fish food!"

Vaughn didn't reply, but merely just looked at his shoes. He was feeling guilty about everything. Twice in his life, he ignored Chief Brody's warning. Twice in his life, he endangered the public safety and his children's lives, especially Larry, who had a short temper. The handsome boy was so angry with his dad because of he, as a mayor of Amity, let the beaches open years ago, and he nearly killed by a shark in the pond. Moreover, a month ago, another shark nearly killed him while he was sailing with his friends. His friends weren't so lucky; a boy and a girl became victims of the shark.

It wasn't he who saved his son; it was Brody who saved him and his friends. No wonder Larry was angry with him. Larry always looked up to him, but when he needed his father the most, he wasn't there.

"Larry… I'm sorry."

Larry smiled in bitterness. He shook his head and gulped his drink. "Not now, dad. Not now. I'm not in the mood. Leave me in peace."

Vaughn nodded slowly. He tapped his son's back and before he retreated, he said, "Make sure you come home, son. Your mom and I are very happy that you're safe and sound."

Larry didn't answer. He was still sitting on the barstool with his back towards his dad. Vaughn sighed and walked out from the bar. Larry looked at the bottom of his glass. The image of Marge's death was still fresh in his mind. In addition, the image of Chief Brody saving their lives by electrocuted the shark was something that he would never forget.


	3. Restless Night

There were screams.

Everything was so confusing. Boats crashed into each other, bodies were splashing in the water, and more screams.

She was floating in the water. From the corner of her eye, she saw a huge fin swimming towards her. She saw its scarred face with its doll eyes, black as night, and saw huge teeth sharp as knives right in front of her. The shark opened its jaws, and she knew that she was going to die.

For a split second, she saw her childhood.

She was wearing a white dress for her birthday. Boys from her class were teasing her, but she didn't mind.

She was at church. She was at her sister's wedding. She was a flower girl. She was beautiful and happy.

She was standing still with her eyes closed. She felt warm lips touching hers. It was her first kiss.

She was floating in the water. Someone was screaming for her name. She saw the shark, and lost all hope. She thought she would never see her family again.

The shark… didn't even bother to look.

She was in pain. The shark scraped her, and she was bleeding from the jagged skin. She felt the salty water in her mouth, and she felt she was drowning. Until she felt someone was grabbing her from behind, and she screamed because she thought it was the shark.

Patrick saved her.

Lucy woke up from her nightmare. She was sweating, and her side was throbbing painfully. She wiped her tears, and sobbed. Lucy had been having nightmares for weeks now, since the incident of the shark. It was hard to believe that she was still alive after that. Maybe God really heard her prayers.

Lucy was standing in front of mirror and looked at her wounded side. Her side was bandage because the skin was bleeding when the shark scrapped her. She thought she was going to die. Patrick was shrieking in panic when he saw the shark was swimming towards her, and he swam frantically trying to save her. She almost didn't make it if Patrick didn't drag her to the cable junction island. She loved him so much, even more after the incident with the shark.

She was lucky that she was alive. The shark seemed didn't pay any attention to her, even though she was bleeding badly. The shark was more interested with Chief Brody when he made those sound by hitting the cable by his paddle. She couldn't get the image of Marge's death by that thing, and she couldn't stop praying so everyone would be safe. Maybe because of her prayer, the shark didn't after her, she wouldn't know.

Lucy sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. Her ribs sometimes made her hard to sleep. Either it was the nightmares or the side effect of the painkillers she took everyday that made her even afraid to close her eyes. Patrick came by visiting her everyday, much to her parents' chagrin. Not because they didn't fond the boy, but they thought that he was the one who put Lucy into jeopardy because he took her on the sailing trip.

It had been a month since the incident, but it was hard for Lucy to forget the whole thing. She couldn't even go to the beach anymore because she was traumatized. She remembered the funeral for Eddie, Marge, and that helicopter pilot; there were empty caskets because there were no bodies. Lucy remembered how Tina passed out in the funeral, and everyone was crying because their friends were gone.

"I wouldn't be here either if I didn't pray…"

She wiped her tears and made a decision that would change her life.

\--------------------

Brooke was sitting on her window and she was looking out to the ocean. It was a peaceful night with the sound of the ocean. She loved to hear the sound of the ocean at night because it would make her sleepy. But a month after the incident, she just couldn't enjoy it anymore. She realized that the ocean wasn't just an ocean anymore, but a dark place where there were billions of sea creatures lives.

"Let me forget…" She whispered, as a meteor crossed the night sky. She wished that everyone would be okay including her cousin Jackie who already went back home to New Jersey after the funerals of Marge and Eddie. Jackie decided that she would not stay any longer in the island, and returned home.

In one way, she was disappointed because she was going to missed Jackie around. Nevertheless, she was also relieved that Jackie went home, because she was annoying. As much she loved her cousin, but she knew Jackie wasn't belong in the island.

She was a city girl, and she was flirting with many guys, including with Larry and Polo, even though she was already being set up to be with Michael, her best friend. Michael was devastated when Jackie decided to go home without even saying goodbye to him. Jackie said that she had enough excitement and deaths, and decided to go back home as soon as possible.

At least Jackie had a decency to say goodbye to Chief Brody; after all, he was the one who saved everyone. She gave him a hug and walked away. Brooke sighed remembering her cousin's behavior. She looked at the table beside her bed; there was a rose. She smiled seeing the rose. Timmy had given the rose to her after the funeral. She remembered what he said to her.

"I really like you, Brooke. This incident really puts me in perspective. I don't wanna lose you. I want you to be my girl." He gave the rose and kissed her on the cheek, and then he ran away. Brooke cried afterwards, because it was overwhelming feeling she had after the funerals of Eddie and Marge, and yet she felt that there was hope for all of them after all.

\----------------------

Andy couldn't sleep tonight. Maybe it was the hot night, or maybe he couldn't get the image of his best friend, Marge, being devoured by a shark a month ago. The incident shook him very bad because he and Marge used to date briefly. She was a wonderful girl, and truly a nice girl. She was also very tomboy and not afraid to do something wild.

She was the one who jumped first when Sean fell aboard. When she died, Andy thought he lost his mind. However, he managed to pull himself together, and focused on the most important thing: Sean's safety.

The poor kid was in shock witnessing Marge's death up close and personal, he shut down temporarily. Andy, Larry, and Patrick were trying to get to him to catch the rope. In his frustration, he managed to threaten Sean that he would hit him if he wouldn't listen to him. Of course, it was an empty bluff. He was so desperate for Sean's safety when they finally saved him; he was so relieved that he hugged Sean so tight.

He always thought Sean as his little brother, just like he thought Mike as his brother too. When Mike was hit in the head by the pole, Andy was afraid to see him floating in the water where the shark was circling them. Luckily, Timmy and Polo came to his rescue and saved him just in time. Andy wouldn't admit it, but he realized that he had a potential of leadership. He never realized how calm and calculated he was to make everyone safe and sound. Even the hotheaded Larry was able to help him if he asked him to do something.

He sighed and scratched his head, which made his fingers tangled in his curly hair. He cursed because it was hurting his head. He dropped himself onto the bed and rolled over to his back, and tried to sleep.

"Marge… Marge… Marge…" He whispered. "I'm gonna miss you… I hope you're doing fine there in heaven."

\--------------------

Doug was playing a game of Pong with his Atari. He couldn't sleep so he decided to waste some time until he could fall asleep. It was 2 AM in the morning, and yet it was always the same with him. After the funeral of Eddie and Marge, he was so depressed that he couldn't enjoy any activities that he usually liked. Reading a book seemed unimportant nowadays. He couldn't even go to the docks anymore to tie his new sailboat because he was traumatized. His dad bought him a new sailboat, but it was still in the garage.

When the shark bumped his boat and dropped him into the water, he was very lucky that he was one of the fastest swimmers on the island, and he was lucky that he was still alive afterward. He remembered when that shark ate Marge. It seemed time had stopped and Doug felt that everything went numb. He could see clearly like in slow motion, how the shark slowly coming from beneath Marge who desperately climbed the capsize boat...

Then he heard long screams from everyone.

Douglas cursed slowly because he lost again playing Pong. He threw the joystick and dropped himself to the floor with his back against it. He wasn't loud because he didn't want his parents to hear him. He put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. He wasn't able to sleep for a month, and he guessed that most of his friends too.

What a month. Who knew his life would change like this? He was only a seventeen years old boy who lived in Amity Island for all his life with his friends, and there wasn't anything ever happened before… Nevertheless, he remembered the incident in the pond by a shark a few years back, but instead, another man became a victim. He was playing on the beach with others, when the shark bumped that man's boat and managed to tip Mike, Larry, and Andy when they were on a sailboat.

Then he remembered how much Tina was suffering too. Losing Eddie must have been the most painful experience ever happened to her. Doug liked Tina, but after what had happened, it would be impossible to ask her on a date.

"Stupid. This is not the time." He muttered to himself.

He wondered whether everything would be the same after the school start again.

\------------------------

Michael was lying on a hammock outside his house. He looked at the view of the dark ocean from where he was lying. The stars were so bright, and he felt at peace. It was a wonder that he survived a shark attack almost a month ago. He was eternally in debts with Polo and Timmy because they saved him when he fell into the water. He attended the funeral of Eddie and Marge. He couldn't believe that they were dead. Those two were his schoolmates and playmates ever since he moved to Amity Island, five years ago.

Maybe in some way he was lucky that he didn't witness their deaths because he was unconscious, or he would be devastated and in total shock like his friends. He met his friends most of the time, and they were mourning, especially Tina, who couldn't stop crying every time he said hi to her. She would just run away, sobbing.

Of course, he mourned the death of his friends. However, because he didn't see them being eaten, he couldn't imagine what happened. Although he had a clear picture of what happened. After all, he experienced a similar encounter with a shark a few years back. He saw a man fell off from his rowboat in the pond, and the shark attacked him. What worse, he was also in the pond, and the shark was swimming next to him. It was a traumatic experience for him; he couldn't believe that he experienced the same thing again.

He thought his family was cursed.

Nobody should experience death so many times. He couldn't imagine what his father feels like. When his father grabbed him in anger because he found out that Sean was with them during the sailing trip, Mike thought that his father hated him. He was so sorry that he neglected Sean. Nevertheless, his father made sure that he already forgave Mike: he was just glad that his sons were alive.

In few weeks, he would be back to school. He knew not everything would be the same. His life and his friends' lives already changed dramatically. Tina wouldn't even go out from her room, Larry was getting angrier, Andy was moody all the time because he used to date Marge, and even Brooke was avoiding him, although he knew what the reason was: Brooke was feeling guilty about it Jackie.

It didn't matter. He lived. He survived. There were matters that important right now: his family and friends. But for now, he might avoid water altogether.

\-------------------------

Tina was walking along the beach. It was a quiet night and full of stars. She was walking very slowly. The dark ocean seemed to call out to her. "Eddie…" She whispered. How many times in her sleep and in her mind she repeated the horrifying experience of her boyfriend's death. She remembered the sound of thud when Eddie hit the sailboat because the shark was dragging him, and then silently made her ears ringing.

Tina couldn't accept the fact that Eddie was killed. In her mind, she tried to imagine that Eddie went away for a summer and would be back right when the school starts in few weeks. However, she knew better… Eddie wouldn't come back, and there was a pang of guilt inside her chest, like maybe this was her fault.

She cried again silently while watching a full moon. She watched the waves and the sound of the ocean; it was supposed to make her feel good because she had been living on this island for all her lives. However, after what happened to her and Eddie, she didn't know whether she wanted to stay anymore. She recalled Brooke's cousin, Jackie, left in a hurry aboard a ferry to take her to the mainland, not a moment too soon after Marge and Eddie's funerals. Maybe she should follow suit.

What hurt the most; the caskets were empty because there were no bodies found. She could feel the pain from Eddie and Marge's families because they couldn't pay their last respect. Her friends were there too, including Chief Brody's family. She heard that Chief Brody saved everyone when he found them drifted to the cable junction. Chief Brody and his wife also saved her, and she was grateful.

Right now, she didn't know whether she wanted to live or not. She felt hopeless and wanted to die and be with Eddie instead. She missed him so much; every night she looked at his pictures and she didn't feel anything. She wanted to feel something. Maybe death would make her feel something. And maybe she would see Eddie again…


	4. Mirage Effect

Larry closed his eyes and put his head on the table. He had moved to a booth and sat alone there, nursing his drink to avoid Helen's glare. He usually just sat there drinking until he passed out. And usually, Helen let him nap, just because she wouldn't risk getting Larry's wrath by waking him up. The boy just turned eighteen, but Larry was strong for a teen. And she wouldn't repeat the same mistake to have the teenager destroying her bar again. If Larry wasn't the mayor's son, people probably already called the Deputy and hauled his ass to jail.

The mayor usually just apologizes and paid whatever destruction Larry caused. If this wasn't a tight community and everyone knew each other, Helen would've kicked Larry out. But like most nights, he just sat there and stared to his drinks.

Everyone knew what happened. Half of the town population attended the funerals of those kids and that pilot. Many media outlet from the mainland was on Amity Island and harassed most of the town people. After the funeral, though, everything went back to normal – at least for some people. Not for these kids.

Larry could be seen during the day walking around town, drunk, and karate chopping some neighbors' picket fences. This summer had been hell for him and the rest of the town; he had some anger issue that stemmed from his close encounter with death.

Michael could be seen painting the latrines at the beach, ignoring others. After all, he had a summer job. If someone asked, "Hey, aren't you that kid…" He just shrugged and continued painting. It was one time when this guy didn't stop pestering him about what happened and was talking ill about his father, the former sheriff of Amity; he poured red paint on the guy's head and walked away. Of course, he was fired afterward, but he didn't care.

Lucy could be seen at the church almost every day, praying. Her boyfriend, Patrick didn't go in, just sat on the church's steps, waiting for her while smoking a cigarette. But he usually flicked the cigarette away when Father Malone approached. Father Malone usually greeted him with a nod, and then shook his head after he was away from the boy.

The rest of the teens usually just huddled up in the Diner. They didn't talk much; just sit there in the booth while avoiding patrons' gaze and eating quietly. The boys were trying to play some arcade, but the younger kids were gawking at them so that activity was a bust. They've become local celebrities; teenagers who were stalked by a predator from the sea and survived. Two of their friends and a pilot didn't make it, though. It was huge sensations when those kids arrived safe and sound, and their parents with local authorities were welcoming them. But the kids… it seemed they lost their soul somewhere at that cable junction island.

Brody was not the sheriff of Amity anymore.

The people who fired him were embarrassed to apologize twice in their lives, so they let the big elephant in the room. After the dust was settled, they would probably vote him back to the office without any brouhaha. In the meantime, Brody was going to enjoy his vacation a little longer.

Tina was the most talked about girl in town. Not because she was Miss Amity or she was popular, but because of Eddie, her boyfriend's death that made her walking around like a zombie. She hardly talked, and her face was so pale. Girls were giggling behind her back because she looked like she never took a bath. But she ignored them most of the time. She was doing grocery with her mom when she noticed that several women were whispering and pointing at her. "If she didn't go with that boy to the ocean, he would still be alive…" Tina smashed a jar of pickles angrily and ran out from the grocery store.

Sean refused to play any outdoor activity, except when his mother forced him to play with his friends. When his friends came over, his mother had to drag him out from the bed. After some kicking and screaming and exchange words, he finally let himself play with his friends as long they wouldn't go near the beach. But in some nights, like this one, he had to cry himself to sleep.

Larry had to drink himself to sleep, like tonight. Tomorrow he would wake up with a huge hangover and dry mouth. He would sleep in the car most nights because he couldn't stand living under the same roof with his parents. The Mayor, he called his father that, would try to bore himself to death with his story about Korean War and how he faced death every day, so he told Larry that he knew how his son must have felt. Larry wanted to push his father to the ocean most of the time.

Bob, his best friend didn't know how to act in front of him. Everything seemed to be awkward for everyone. Bob was trying to have some conversation but he usually just brushed him away. When Bob walked away like a wounded puppy, Larry felt bad a little. But he need everyone just leave him alone and drown in his sorrow.

"You used to be fun to be around, I'm disappointed."

Larry glanced at her, and then stare back to his glass. He got used to her visit during binge drinking like this, although first time she appeared, it freaked him a lot. But he was drunk all the time, so, of course, he considered this to be a hallucination from his subconscious or from alcohol. Either way, he wasn't freaking out anymore. "Well, you were alive back then. So…"

Marge sighed and plopped herself next to him in the booth. She looked pretty with her short feather hair and her freckles. Larry used to have a crush on her but he was too proud to admit it. He felt that Marge was too nice and he wasn't worthy of her, so he chased after easy girls instead; like Jackie. Larry turned his head a little and looked at her with a smile.

"What?" She asked, smiling.

"It's funny that I know that you're not real – that you're a figment of my imagination, and I know that I'm talking to an empty seat… but I just have to say this." He tried to focus on her, afraid that she would disappear. "You look like an angel."

"I bet you say that to all girls." Marge smirked. "Before you get into their pants."

Larry smiled to his mirage. "I wished I said that to you back then."

"Why didn't you?" She asked. He looked at her, and then looked at his almost empty glass and gulped the rest of the liquor.

"Because you were dating Andy, and I don't chase my friend's girl." He said bitterly.

"It didn't stop you from chasing after Jackie, and you knew that she was with Michael." She interjected. Larry just chuckled softly and poured himself another drink. Helen already gave up serving him a drink, so she just put the bottle on the table. She saw that Larry was slurring with himself again, but didn't do anything. She would kick Larry out in a few minutes before closing time.

"Jackie wasn't Michael girlfriend, and she was looking for fun. Brooke just paired her with him because Michael was an idiot. At the end of the day, I rather kicked a screaming Jackie off the boat and let that thing killed her than losing you." He said gloomily.

"You don't mean that…" She said softly. Larry snorted. Of course, he meant it. He didn't know Jackie, none of them knew her. She was a new girl who visited her cousin during the summer. When the summer vacation ends, she would go back to the mainland and return to her own life. She meant nothing to him. But Larry knew his friends all of his life; Brooke, Bob, Polo, Timmy, Michael, Tina, Marge, Andy, Patrick, Eddie, and Doug – and most of the time they were always together. When you stuck on the same island, you have no choice but to hang out with these people that you meet every day. They may not be best of friends and occasionally you picked up some fights with them, but you were friends nonetheless.

"You're too kind..." He choked. "You were too kind." He felt a hand clasped his own. Marge was holding his hand and squeezed hard. "I really missed you."

"Get yourself together, Larry. You need to go home..." She said.

"What?" He was trying to focus, and he saw Helen was shaking his arm.

"I said you need to go home. The bar is closed." Helen repeated.


	5. Midnight Blues

Larry stumbled out from the bar after it was closed. He walked drunkenly towards his car and trying to open the door when he heard a voice.

"Please tell me that you're not trying to drive your own car, you drunken idiot."

Larry glanced towards Polo who was walking towards him. He blinked several times because he was seeing double. He tried to focus and shook his head; "What are you doing here?"

The tall boy grabbed the keys from Larry's hand and took several steps back. Larry scoffed and leaned his back against his car. Polo jingled the keys and shook his head, "If you're planning to kill yourself, maybe you should just jump over the cliff."

Larry glared at Polo. His words hit a nerve. Before he could say anything, Bob was walking very fast towards them. "Ah, you're still here." He breathed hard. "Your mom is worried. She was asking us to take you home."

Larry spread his arms, "As you can see, I have all of my limbs."

Polo studied him before he said, "Come on. We'll take you home." He approached Larry. "Don't argue with us."

"Polo, you need to learn to chill, man." Larry slurred. "Just gimme the goddamn keys and I'll be outta your hair." He reached for the keys, but Polo backed away from him, which made Larry inexplicably angry. He walked few steps, but Polo kept back away, and Larry just lost his patience. He lunged towards Polo, determined to get his keys.

Polo could see that Larry was swaying, so he sidestepped, passed the key to Bob who caught it by surprise, grabbed Larry from behind and had him in a choke hold. It was easy for him because Polo was part of the wrestling team in their high school. Larry's hands were flapping, and he was trying to release himself from Polo's choke hold.

"Polo!" Bob yelled.

"Are you going to behave now, Larry?" Polo asked Larry. Larry just muttered something. "What?" Larry was trying to say something, but he couldn't because Polo was choke holding him.

"I think he said 'uncle'." Bob said while biting his nails.

Polo released Larry slowly and backed away several steps. Larry coughed a bit and seemed to calm down. Polo could see that Larry was going to take a swing at him again, so he wasn't surprised when Larry was trying to sucker punch him. Polo dodged him easily and hit him in the gut. Without words, Larry fell down and passed out.

"Damn it, Polo! You don't have to do that!" Bob exasperatedly said, and crouched beside Larry.

"Shut up. It's either me or him." Polo warned Bob. "And don't you dare defend him. He's being a jerk while we're trying to help him."

"Oww, man. What the hell am I gonna say to his mom?"

"Tell her he's drunk!" Polo exasperatedly said to his friend. "Help me grab him, will 'ya?" Both of them carried Larry to Polo's Volkswagen. They basically just threw Larry onto the backseat. "Goddamn it, he lives on the other side of the island!"

Polo was driving his Volkswagen Bus with Bob sitting next to him. Bob glanced back to the backseat where Larry was sleeping. They were cruising along the road near the beach. When they reached a spot where there was a warning sign 'No Swimming', Larry suddenly groaned from the backseat.

"I think I'm going to be sick. Pull over, man."

"Larry, if you puke in my car, I'm going to kick your ass one more time!" Polo yelled. Larry groaned again, and Polo immediately pulled over to the side road. Larry stumbled out from the car and hurled. Bob was trying to help Larry, but he swatted his hand.

"I got it, I don't need help." He threw up again.

Bob sighed and shrugged to Polo. Polo rolled his eyes and turned off the car engine. The only sounds they heard were the sound of waves and Larry retching. Polo lighted his cigarette and walked to the sand hill near the shore, and sat on the ground. Bob followed him and sat next to him, watching the ocean. It was dark but they could see everything because of the moonlight.

Larry climbed the small sand hill and sat next to his friends. Polo gave a bottle of water to him, and he silently thanked Polo by nodding. He wasn't mad at all to Polo for hitting him.

The three friends were watching the waves crashing over the shore in silent.

How much their lives had changed so significantly in a month. They lost their friends, they were traumatized, and they were…dying. Even when they were alive, they were dying.

Polo never said anything or even behaving in a certain manner, unlike his friends, after the event. He was still doing the same thing every day; waking up in the morning, eating breakfast, attending wrestling practice in the gym, eating lunch, picking up some chicks from mainland – normal things. But there was a guilty feeling deep down in his gut, that perhaps this might be his fault; the whole event. Not to mention he was feeling guilty because he didn't witness Marge and Eddie's deaths.

Polo remembered when Chief Brody brought back his friends back to the island. Cheers erupted from the people and the parents. Until he found out that Marge and Eddie weren't there with his friends. He searched for them, and his friends were silent. The girls were crying, Jackie was hysterical, the boys were numb, and Chief Brody looked sad and relief at the same time.

He asked about Marge, and everyone lowered their heads.

Marge was gone. Eddie was gone.

It was unexpected and Polo felt like something punched him in the gut that day. The feeling still lingered from time to time.

And now, his friends were falling apart.

He needed to check his composure every day, so he wouldn't fall apart too. He busied himself with his wrestling practice and spending more time with his family. Polo was one of the wealthiest kids in the island. His dad bought his sailboat for his 18th birthday a few months ago; that was why he wanted to test it during the summer. His sailboat now tied at the pier, and he hadn't seen it for a month since the incident.

Polo glanced to Bob, who was a bit sleepy but still looking at the ocean. Bob was a loyal friend of Larry. The boy always followed Larry everywhere like a sidekick; hardly had any opinions of his own, but he was a loyal friend nonetheless. That was why Bob was feeling lost when Larry behaving like a zombie and ignoring his friends. Larry's mother went to see Bob and asked him to bring Larry home. Bob knew that Larry wouldn't be easy to be persuaded, so he asked Polo to help him. Polo was reluctant at first, knowing that it wouldn't be easy. Larry was a hot-headed boy who liked to pick up a fight for no reason, just because he could and he was the Mayor's son.

But seeing Larry drunk and broken like this made him sad. He and Larry with Bob had been friends ever since he could remember. They were islanders and friends since the beginning – when you lived in a small island like this, you had no choice but to hang out with the same people you grew up with. You may experience many arguments, fights, break-ups, and make-ups, but you were friends no matter what.

Larry was lying on his back and closed his eyes even though he wasn't sleeping. Bob was nodding off from sleepiness, and Polo was looking at the beach. The three of them didn't say anything and fell in a comfortable silence.

Their little moment of peace was interrupted when Polo saw someone was walking down the beach in the dark. He narrowed his eyes towards the person who was walking very close to the edge of the water. The person was walking very slowly and seemed oblivious with his or her surrounding.

"Hey, look at that." Polo nudged Larry who sat up immediately. Bob stood up and tried to see the person.

"What the hell is he doing?" Bob asked curiously. When the clouds were moving and the moonlight was shining brightly into the night, the three boys were holding their breaths when they saw who was walking down the beach near the water.

Tina was walking very slowly, and she purposely walking into the water where the waves were pretty high. Her hair was already wet from the splash of waves. Merely seconds, Tina was already a waist in water. She seemed to be determined to go into the violent water where the waves were crashing down to the beach.

Without words, Polo was already running down the hill and sprinted down the dunes. He almost fell down several times but he kept his pace. Bob yelled to Tina. "GET OUT FROM THE WATER! It's not safe!" Tina seemed startled, and she looked behind her and saw Polo was running towards her.

Larry wasn't far behind him, although he practically rolling down the hill.

Polo watched Tina was looking at him with sadness in her eyes. She was crying as tears were visible on her cheeks. Before he could even reach her, a huge wave came crashing down on her and she was gone.

"TINA!" Polo could hear Larry screamed. Without thinking, Polo jumped into the water. "POLO!" Larry screamed again. When he reached the edge of the water, Bob tackled him so he wouldn't jump. "Let go, Bob! We have to save them!"

"You're drunk! You'd drown!" Bob screamed to Larry. He was holding Larry who was struggling from his grip. "Polo will save her!"

The two boys were panting and sitting near the edge of the water. There was no sign of both Tina and Polo. Larry lowered his head and muttered something, while Bob was praying that both of his friends were safe.

Suddenly they saw Polo re-surfaced and he was carrying Tina in his arms. Both Larry and Bob ran towards them and helped to carry Tina who was unconscious. They dropped her on the sand, and Bob immediately checked on her. She was breathing and coughing – Bob thanked the stars that he didn't need to do some CPR. Polo was lying down on the sand and coughing too. Larry was still dizzy, also lying down on the sand. The three teenagers were sprawled over the sand, while Bob just sighed in relief.

And then Tina was crying.

She was sobbing very hard; she covered her face with her hands. Bob immediately hugged her, while she buried her face into his chest. Larry and Polo scooted over and hugged her too. The teenagers were huddling together; the only sounds heard were the wave sound crashing down the beach and Tina's sobbing.

"I want to see Eddie…!" She said between sobs.

The boys didn't say anything, only tightening their embrace.


	6. Prairie Oyster

Bob nervously knocked on the door and stepped back. He looked at his watch; it was almost 5 AM and the sun were rising. He glanced back to the Volkswagen behind him but didn't say anything. After a while, the door was opened and Martin Brody looked at him in surprise.

"Robert? What are you doing here this early morning? Something wrong?"

Bob grimaced and took off his hat. "Sorry to bother you, Chief. But we need help." Martin looked at the boy and saw Polo climbed out from the car with Tina in his arms. Larry walked behind them, and he was swaying.

"Shit." He immediately approached the kids. "Ellen! Come down here!"

Martin watched the three boys in his living room, being wrapped in blankets while their feet were soaked in buckets of hot water. Bob's teeth were chattering and he wrapped his body tighter with his blanket. Polo glanced to Larry who closed his eyes; it was obvious that Larry was still drunk and Martin looked at him with his brows furrowed.

Michael walked from the kitchen carrying a tray of hot cocoa for his friends and dad, and he put them on the coffee table. Ellen appeared and put some dry clothes in front of them. Their wet clothes were already in the hamper.

"Are those my clothes?" Michael asked. Ellen rolled her eyes and Michael just exhaled. "Be my guess, guys. Please, wear my clothes and drink our chocolates!"

"Mike." Martin chided his son.

"We're sorry, chief. We didn't know where else to go…" Polo said apologetically. "Your house is closer."

"What happened to her? I'm going to call a doctor and her parents." Martin paused. "And maybe your parents too."

"Mom and dad are on the mainland for a week… Just me and my older sister." Polo muttered.

"I don't think you should make my nana worried." Bob chimed in. His teeth were still chattering. Bob's parents died when he was younger. He had been living with his grandmother ever since he was a little boy.

Martin looked at sleepy Larry. He snapped his fingers in front of him, "And you? What's your excuse?"

"The mayor can kiss my grits." Larry quipped. Polo smacked him on the head and Larry grunted. Martin and Michael just looked at him warily. "Do whatever the hell you want. Call my dad, I don't care." He slurred.

"Watch your tongue there, kid." Martin warned Larry and stood up. "Honey, can you make that hangover cure for this dumbass? I need to call Vaughn, Tina's parents, and a doctor." He walked into the dining room.

"Sure." Ellen nodded and sighed. She mussed the boys' hair softly and then kissed Michael's head before walked into the kitchen.

The boys fell into uncomfortable silent. Michael rubbed his eyes tiredly and plopped himself to the armchair while his friends were still sitting on the couch without their clothes on. "Jeez, guys. What a way to start a day. What happened?"

"We told you; Tina was drowning, we saved her." Polo answered.

"It was Polo who saved her, actually. I didn't do anything." Bob shrugged.

"Don't do that." Polo said to Bob.

"Do what?"

"Being all humble and all."

"I'M NOT!" He sternly said. Michael raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything. Bob looked miserable, and Polo looked tired. Larry looked subdued, which was weird to everyone.

"What the hell happened?" Michael asked again.

Polo and Bob were about to make up some lies, but Larry already blurted. "She was trying to kill herself."

Another uncomfortable silent fell into the room.

Michael sighed and ran his hand through his feather hair. "Shit."

"MOM! Mike is swearing!" Sean suddenly popped in the room. He was wearing pajamas and was holding a car toy. "And there's a girl on Mike's bed!"

"The only time he will have a girl on his bed." Larry muttered, which made Polo smacked him on the head again. Michael, who was used to Larry's rudeness, didn't comment. He knew Larry was angry about… everything. He lashed out most of the time, and it was a good idea just to let him be. Michael wasn't afraid of him, but it wasn't his place to kick his ass in his father's house. Maybe he would punch him when he was sober.

"Did you guys know why she wanted to… kill herself?" Michael asked quietly. He glanced to the dining room. He could hear his dad was talking on the phone.

"She said something about Eddie." Larry bitterly said. "She misses him."

Michael nodded in understanding and looked at the ceiling. His room was above the living room. He stood up and climbed the stairs. They shouldn't leave her alone if she was going to kill herself. He walked to his room and slowly opened the door. He saw a blonde girl, wearing his mother's clothes, on his bed, sleeping like a baby. On the bedside table, there was a glass of water and a bottle of sleeping pills. His mother probably gave it to her.

He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He stroked her head carefully. Tina stirred a little but still sleeping. She mumbled, "Eddie…"

"Here, drink this." Ellen gave a glass of Prairie Oyster to the boy in front of her.

Bob made a face when Ellen gave it to Larry. "Is that… raw egg?"

"With some hot sauce, salt, black pepper, and Worcester sauce." She smirked. "Drink it." Larry just looked at her in horror. "It will help you with your hangover."

Larry held the glass and he glanced to his friends. Polo and Bob grimaced watching him. He sighed and then gulped the ingredients. He made a gagging sound but he didn't want to hurl in front of the former sheriff's wife and made a mess of her living room. Martin Brody might not be a sheriff anymore, but he still carried guns.

"Good boy. I'll make some breakfast for you all." Ellen tapped Larry's head and walked back to the kitchen. "Lots of GREASY bacon and scrambled eggs!" She taunted him while Larry just closed his eyes, nauseous with the image of breakfast. "I also gonna make you a pot of black coffee. That will wake you up!"

Sean was drinking Larry's hot chocolate because it was obvious Larry didn't want one. Sean looked at the older boys curiously. He was going to make a comment or something when Larry cut him off. "Please, Sean. Don't make a sound. I know you."

"I haven't said anything!"

"Listen, kid. I'm gonna spank you to oblivion if you're bothering us." Larry made an empty threat.

"Leave the kid alone." Polo muttered.

"Mike always said the same thing, but he never actually done anything." Sean shook his head. He walked to the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table, watching his mother cooking breakfast.

Polo, Larry, and Bob were left alone in the living room. They were sitting together on the couch, while their feet were soaked in hot water. The teenagers were left by their own thoughts. Bob was thinking how the hell he'd get back home. Polo was too tired to drive – would Michael and chief Brody take them home? Larry definitely didn't want to go home.

Twenty minutes later, after checking up to Tina and Michael, and then talking to his wife in the kitchen, Martin walked back into the living room and sat on the loveseat. "I called the doctor, and he's on his way. I also called Tina's parents. They will be here soon. Apparently, they didn't know that she ran away from home. Did you know anything about this?" He interrogated the boys. They shook their head slowly. "Okay. And I also called your dad." He stared at Larry. "He said that you were at the bar near the boardwalk. Is that true?" Larry nodded slowly. Martin sighed and rolled his eyes. "We'll talk about that soon. But right now I want to know what happened. And don't lie to me, because I will know." He looked at them pointedly. The boys didn't want to put Tina in the spotlight, so they were silent for a while. "Robert!"

Bob startled when Martin suddenly yelled at him. "She was going to kill herself!"

Both Polo and Larry groaned in unison. Polo smacked Bob's head. "Shut up."

"What?" Martin was shocked. "Tell me what happened!"

Bob stammered for a while, and then he gave up. "Mrs. Vaughn told us to pick Larry and bring him home. When we were on the way, Larry had a car sick so we stopped – you know, near that old house where Mr. Finch used to live? And then we saw Tina… walked into the water. She was drowning, but Polo –" He gestured to his friend who had his head lowered. "– saved her. And… here we are." He shrugged and wrapped himself more tightly in the blanket.

"Shit."

"Mom! Dad is swearing!"

"Be quiet, Sean!" Martin yelled. He could hear Ellen scolded her youngest son in the kitchen. "How do you know that she was going to kill herself?"

"She said something about Eddie… how much she wanted to see him again." Larry muttered.

Martin realized that the teenagers were really having tough times after that horrible event. His youngest son always crying in the middle of the night, remembering what happened. Michael walked around like a zombie most of the time. Whenever he wanted to have a conversation with his oldest son, he just shrugged and not really in the mood to talk. He thought that he had it difficult; facing the Great White shark, twice in his life. He saw the terror and blood, which would last forever in his mind. But he got over it most of the time. He was the adult here – he had to protect his family, so he didn't have time to mourn everything.

But these kids… they were just kids.

Some of them probably legally adults, but they were still kids…

He heard gossips about Tina Wilcox who walked around the town like she was a crazy cat lady. She didn't have the coping mechanism like he had.

"Damn it." Martin muttered and stood up. Everyone could hear several cars were pulling to the front-yard. He went to the front porch and greeted the guests. "Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox… your daughter is fine, but I already called a doctor just in case." Everyone could hear Mrs. Wilcox was sobbing as Martin explained what happened. "Vaughn… your son is here too. He's fine. Thank the lucky stars."


	7. Cake, Balloons, Sparkles, and Pool

"Ellen! Ellen!" Mrs. Taft waved her hand and walked hurriedly towards Ellen Brody. She managed to avoid little children who were running around, screaming and laughing.

Ellen, who was putting some food on the buffet table, saw Mrs. Taft approached her and she rolled her eyes discreetly. She muttered, "Oh, great." And then she plastered a fake smile and waved back to her.

It was a beautiful day; the sky was blue with no clouds and it was very hot. Children were in their bathing suits, happily swimming and playing in the swimming pool, while the adults were sitting on deck chairs near the pool, talking, gossiping and drinking margaritas. They were at the Len Peterson's home for his son's birthday and barbecue party. Balloons and sparkles were everywhere, it almost made Ellen gag. She hated this particular festivity, especially when it was Len Peterson's party. She still couldn't forgive him and the town's council for firing her husband more than a month ago. And yet, there she was… serving these people their food. As a caterer, Ellen had no choice but to accept the job. Her family needs the money.

"Oh, I am so happy to see you." Mrs. Taft kissed her on both cheeks. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"Well, Mrs. Peterson called and asked me to take care of the party. She loved the food from the last time I catered the hotel opening." She shrugged and busied herself with the napkins.

"Martin is not coming?"

Ellen grinned uncomfortably and shrugged, "He's with Michael." She answered shortly.

"Where's Sean?"

"Uh, I think he's somewhere playing."

Mrs. Taft was standing near Ellen; her pose was obvious – she was going to tell Ellen some juicy gossip. "Half of the important people are here in this party."

Ellen frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Ellen, everyone is rooting for Martin after he saved the kids. They want Martin to be reinstated as Police Chief again." Mrs. Taft staged whispered. "And that is not what Len Peterson wants." Ellen looked at Mrs. Taft in disbelief. "There's a possibility that Len wants to be a mayor, and having Martin as Chief of Police might not be a good idea."

Ellen's mouth was opened. The nerve of that man!

"Larry knows about this?"

"Do you see him in this party?"

"Jane, this is a birthday party. I doubt Larry would attend an eight-year-old boy birthday party."

"Oh, Ellen. Forget about the birthday party." Mrs. Taft nudged Ellen. "Do you see them?" She pointed to the adults who were sitting and talking at the patio, drinking some margaritas. "They're Len's biggest campaign contributors and supporters. They want Larry to be replaced."

Ellen shook her head. She leaned back and sat on the edge of the buffet table, watching the Peterson family spreading their charms to their guests. After they got rid of her husband, and now they wanted to get rid of Vaughn. She narrowed her eyes when she saw old Harry and other town officials brown nosing to Len Peterson.

Suddenly Ellen had an urge to spit the drinks and served them to Len Peterson and his guests.

Sean was sitting on the edge of swimming pool, watching other kids his age swimming and splashing happily. Marco Peterson jumped to the pool, yelling "CANON BALL!" Some girls shrieked and laughed. Sean just looked at them solemnly.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you holding up?" Andy appeared next to him and sat down on the edge. He watched the little kid staring at his peers uneasy.

"Fine."

"Wanna some cake? They're delicious." Andy offered him a plate of a half-eaten piece of cake. Sean shook his head. He wasn't hungry at all. The whole thing made him uncomfortable; he wanted to spend the day at home playing Atari or watching TV, but his mother insisted that he should come after Marco invited him to his party. Sean wasn't close to Marco, but he was his classmate. Andy looked at the little boy sadly. He didn't want to go to the party himself, but Michael called him and asked him whether he could help Mrs. Brody with the catering. Michael had been busy with part time job himself. "Hey, how's Larry doing? I heard that he's staying at your place?"

"Yeah, he kept popping in uninvited. Mom and dad finally took a pity on him, so he stays with us now."

"The mayor is okay with that?"

Sean shrugged, "I don't know. Ask Michael."

"I will, I guess." Andy nodded his head. He heard that the boys rescued Tina, who was going to commit suicide a week ago – the whole town was buzzing with that story. Her parents took her to the city to see a psychiatrist. Bob was being grounded by his grandmother – he wasn't permitted to see his friends. Polo's parents came back and they took him and his sister to see their grandparents at the Hamptons.

News about Larry, however, was unclear. Some say that he ran away to California. Some say that he stayed at the Brody's. Andy knew that he stayed at the Brody's because Larry had a fight with his father, Larry Senior. He didn't know the whole story, so he might have to ask Michael about it. Larry and Michael weren't exactly best friends; they argued a lot, so this would be interesting. Andy didn't know the reason why Larry stayed at the Brody's. It seemed he was more comfortable with Chief Brody and the whole family.

"I want to go home."

Andy looked at Mrs. Brody near the buffet table; she looked pissed and threw dagger stares towards Len Peterson. She had to swallow her pride and accepted the catering gig because Chief Brody was fired. "Yeah, I can ask your mom whether I can take you home now. Wait here, will ya?"

Andy left Sean alone who was still gloomy and approached Mrs. Brody. Mrs. Taft was talking excitedly near her, and it made Andy rolled his eyes.

Sean sighed as he watched the party. He felt like an outsider here – he could be around many people and felt like he was alone. He looked at Andy who was talking to Mrs. Brody, and it was obvious that his mother was pissed. He didn't know why his mom was upset, but somehow it felt like it was his fault…

Sean stood up and started to walk to his mother when a couple of kids suddenly pushed him to the swimming pool and yelled, "CANON BALL!"

It took him several seconds to realize that he was already deep under water, but surprisingly he managed to inhale some oxygen before he took the plunge. His eyes were closed and he felt like he float under water – so light and without burden…

When he opened his eyes, he was confused at first as he saw the swimming pool was empty. There were no children swimming. And more confusing was, he wasn't even in the swimming pool. The water was murky and dark blue… and he couldn't see anything in front of him. He looked to the right, and there was nobody there. He looked to the left, and there was nobody there either…

He looked straight ahead, and his heart almost jumped out from his mouth.

He saw a dark shadow approaching slowly… A huge shadow which was swimming slowly towards him… Sean wanted to swim upward but his body seemed to be in shock, and he couldn't move at all.

No… No… Please… Go away….!

And then he saw it…

A giant Great White shark with its black eyes like doll's eyes staring at him… The shark was circling him and Sean felt like he was about to die… He wanted to scream but he couldn't. He could see that the shark had scars on its face – like it was half-burnt from where his dad electrocuted it and saved everyone. And yet the shark was right here, in this swimming pool…

Mommy… mommy…. Help me…

The shark still circled him when suddenly it stopped right in front of him. Sean could almost feel its eyes were on him; like trying to decide whether to tear him to pieces or swallow him whole. And then the shark grinned evilly, showing off thousands of teeth that were sharp as steak knives. And it opened its jaws, ready to devour Sean.

Sean was going to scream underwater when he saw her…

Marge was inside the shark's mouth.

She looked at him helplessly. She looked like a zombie – there was blood everywhere and the water turned to murky red. Marge put her hand out from the shark's mouth and she spoke eerily with bubbles coming out from her mouth, "Sean… Sean… Come here…"

Sean couldn't stand it anymore… He finally screamed and screamed.

\---

Andy was trying to resuscitate Sean. He was doing CPR and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation. Mrs. Brody was crying next to him, while Mrs. Taft was holding her. The party guests were crowding around them except Len Peterson. He narrowed his eyes watching the commotion and gulped his bourbon. His wife already called the ambulance and hospital. He didn't want anything bad happened in this party. He sensed that Chief Brody would kick his ass if he found out that his brat drowned in his party.

Andy saw that Sean fell into the pool, but didn't come out. When he saw that Sean was floating afterward, he immediately ran and jumped into the water. Mrs. Brody was hysterical and was going to jump into the water too, but other guests restrained her.

Sean coughed some water and he looked upward to his mother.

"Marge…?"

"You're okay, sweetie. You're safe now…" His mother was sobbing.

Andy looked at the little boy who he considered as his little brother. "You're safe, Sean."

Sean closed his eyes. "But not Marge… It's my fault, you know?" He then cried.


	8. Undeclared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'ed. Because of reasons.

The Brody decided to stay low for the rest of the summer. Sean spent a lot of time in his room, reading some comic books. His friends would come over and brought him some comics and also played ATARI together. But Ellen told his friends to limit their visit as Sean got tired easily. After his accidental drowning, the doctor said that Sean needed some rest. It would be best for his mental and physical state. Sean didn't have nightmares for a while, which made his family thankful.

Ellen couldn't stay at home most of the time because she works. Many people booked her catering service for the summer, so she had to let the household responsibility to her husband and sons. But she always bring home some of the catering's leftovers, and her sons loved it.

Michael spent his summer working in the library. It was a quiet place, and not many people actually went there. He spent his time cataloging books and working behind the desk. Andy sometimes came by bringing him lunch. When he was not busy, he was reading books about sharks. He had been interested with sharks after what happened last month. Almost got eaten apparently gained a new perspective. He couldn't believe that he experienced near death twice in his life. He remembered when he was a boy; he watched a man got eaten in front of him.

`He didn't tell his parents about his plan for college, but he was going to choose a major that his parents would disapprove. That was why he kept quiet about everything. During the night, he would lay on his hammock, staring at the ocean, thinking hard about his future.

Larry would visit three or four times every week, helping Chief Brody fixing the old pick up truck or just hanging with Sean at home, playing some Pong and Space Invaders. He was practically living in the house. Michael caught him taking something out from the fridge like it was nothing, and they had a row. Martin had to separate them and made them apologize to each other. Several nights, Larry would have dinners with the family, much to Michael's chagrin. Although Martin didn't mind Larry always hung around in his house, but he was wary that the boy seemed angry all the time and reluctant to go home. Vaughn always called to his house, asking about Larry. Before Martin could call Larry to pick up the phone, Larry would storm out the house. Sometimes Larry would spend some nights at their house and sleeps on the couch. It was obvious that Larry didn't want to come home. But Martin thought this was much better alternative than having the young adult running away from home.

It was a sunny day and Sean was playing an electronic football game on the couch while wearing his pajamas. The portable game beeped every time he had a touchdown. "Touchdown." He muttered. He was bored, especially being cooped up in the house with nobody to play with. His friends were spending some time on the beach. They asked him to come, but Sean refused. His parents decided to let Sean stay at home instead forcing him to play outside.

"I'm home."

Sean looked up and saw Michael entering the house, carrying some books. "Did you bring me some comic books?"

"Yeah, yeah. Spider-Man and Swamp Thing." He gave the comic books to Sean and hid the other books inside his bag.

"What are those?"

"Books." Michael said. "You know, not comics." Before Sean could ask any more questions, he hurriedly climbed the stairs and went to his room. He shut the door to make sure that Sean wouldn't barge in as usual. He hid the books from the library under the bed.

His family didn't have to know that he had been reading about sharks.

Michael went back and plopped himself next to Sean in the living room, and turned on the television. Bewitched was on, and it was Michael's favorite show.

"I like I Dream of Jeannie better." Sean made a comment.

"You're not allowed to watch that show; mom forbids you." Michael replied. "Where's dad?"

Sean yawned and played his electronic football game. "Drinking. Fixing the truck. The usual."

Michael sighed. His dad had been drinking a lot nowadays ever since he got fired. He stood up and walked to the kitchen to grab something to eat. From the kitchen's window, he could see the backyard and his dad was fiddling the engine of his truck. Bottles and cans of beer were scattered around the car and grass.

He walked out carrying a bottle of soda and the door made a creaking sound. Martin looked up from under the hood, a cigarette between his lips, and he yelled, "Remind me to fix that door."

"The door is fine." Michael replied.

"No it's not. It's creaking."

"You haven't fixed the swing set either."

"Are you still using the swing set?" Michael and his father grinned.

Michael approached his dad, "Need any help?"

"Nah, Larry already helped me. I'm just checking everything out again." His father went back under the hood. Michael pursed his lips – his father spent so much time with Larry more than with his children.

"Is he gonna stay here, like forever?" Michael asked. His tone was flat.

Martin looked up and frowned. "No… He has his own home. He just… having difficult time nowadays," He cracked his back and wiped his oily hands. "You don't like him around?"

"I'm fine with him around. I just don't understand why he doesn't go home already."

"You know he's welcomed here. He's your friend." Martin raised his eyebrow, "He is, right?"

Michael shrugged and kicked the grass. "Sorta. I guess we owe him for saving Sean."

"Nobody owes anyone anything around here, son. It was just something that happened with all of us, and we face it every day." Martin threw the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. He looked towards the house. "Sean okay there?"

"He's fine. He's just bored." Michael drank his soda. "I hope the school starts soon."

"Well, that's something I would NEVER hear from a teenager." Martin chuckled. He closed the hood and walked back towards the house. "I'm gonna take a shower. And then maybe we can go to that new burger joint near downtown."

"Hey, dad…" Michael called his dad.

His dad turned around and threw him a questionable look. "Yep?"

Michael fidgeted a little bit and then asked his dad. "Have you talked to Uncle Hooper lately?"

Martin frowned. "No, why? You know he's always on the move."

Michael shrugged again, "Nah… I thought he called you or something. I haven't heard from him for a while. I mean… did he know what happened to us… again?"

"I don't think he heard… If he heard, he would call us." Martin paused and looked at his son for a while. He walked back to Michael and put his hand on his shoulder. "Son… you know if you need to talk or anything, you can tell me, right?"

"Yeah, it's cool." Michael lied. "I just… thought that Uncle Hooper should know what happened to us." He nodded to his dad. "I mean, after all, we've been through…"

"Yeah, I know son." He patted Michael's shoulders and kissed his son's head. "But we're gonna get over this. We always do." Martin walked back to the house, groaned when he opened the door as the door made a creaking sound. Michael just sighed watching his dad retreating back to the house. He looked over to the side and saw the beautiful horizon. His family spent less time outside nowadays. The jetty was empty. Michael missed his boat… he doubted that his dad would buy him another one. Two boats in few years; destroyed by sharks. Well, he guessed it was because he lived on an island. He couldn't imagine that his boats would get destroyed if he still lived in New York City. Say what you want about Amity Island – Michael loved it here. But his family seemed fed up with the island…

Michael sighed again, and he started to clean the empty bottles on the ground.

\----------------

Larry was walking down the street with Patrick. They were on their way to the supermarket to buy some beer. Both of them were already 18 years old, so they had no problem purchasing alcohol. Besides, Brooke was working at the cash register.

"Bob's still grounded?" Patrick asked while lighted his cigarette.

"Yeah, I called and he said that he had to take his grandmother everywhere and stay at home no matter what. I think he's ready to commit suicide." Larry made a tasteless joke.

"Larry." Patrick frowned. "That's not funny."

"Sorry." Larry looked down and lighted his own cigarette. "Didn't mean to – you know how I behave."

"Yeah, like a jackass." Patrick said.

Larry shrugged. He was a jackass – maybe that was part of his charm; he got it from his father. "I'm a super jackass slash dill-hole." He blew a smoke ring. "The Mayor is proud." He sarcastically said. Patrick smirked and shook his head. Larry's obvious disdain over his dad was clear.

"You're still living with the Brody?"

"Not really. Just coming and going. Mike is ready to kill me because I keep bugging him."

Patrick chuckled. "He's still bitter with you and Jackie?"

"I don't think so. I don't think he cares about that screaming ungrateful bitch." He shrugged. "He's got his own problem. I don't know what. He hardly says anything, like thinking about something all the time, I just want to punch him."

"I think he wants to punch you too."

Larry smirked. "I don't think he dares. The Chief likes me better."

Patrick chuckled again, "Dude – you're mean."

"Runs in the family." He chuckled too. He didn't hate Michael – he was just being an asshat most of the time. His friends knew his habit and personality, and mostly they knew that he didn't mean any harm. He didn't know why, but nowadays he felt closer to the Brody's family. Maybe because Chief Brody saved their lives, and he felt protective over Sean after the little kid saw Marge devoured. Not to mention he saw Michael almost got eaten. That family made a huge impact on him. And maybe there was a little bit of guilt from him when he dated Jackie. "So how's Lucy?"

"Better. Her ribs are healing fast. Although… I think there are gonna be scars."

"Sorry to hear that." Larry murmured. "That's suck."

"Not as suck that she's been avoiding me for a while." Patrick bitterly said.

"What do you mean?"

"Lucy isn't talking to me."

"Her parents forbid her to talk to you?" Larry frowned.

"No… She's just being weird nowadays."

"Everyone is being weird, nowadays. I'm weird."

"Can't argue with that." Patrick gave him a pointed look, and Larry just smirk. "But this is different."

"I don't get it."

"I think she's going to break up with me." They stopped walking and Patrick sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"But why? You guys are great." Larry asked. He watched Patrick looked troubled.

"I don't know, man. She's… been praying a lot." They both leaned on a wall of a building. "It's like… she feels that she's responsible for the whole thing."

"Oh, jeez." Larry shook his head. "Look, everyone feels guilty okay – for whatever happened to Marge and Eddie. It's not one person's fault or something."

"You don't think I don't know that?" Patrick said. "I know that you know that, and I think Lucy know that. But… she's been distant lately, and I can't take it."

Both of them went silent for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Larry broke the silence, "So what are you gonna do?"

"Dunno. I need to talk to her." He paused. "If I can."

"You'll get through it." He patted his back and straightened up. "Shall we get drunk, today?"

"We shall."

\-------------------

Michael was standing in front of a nice beach house. The house was small but looked comfortable. There were flower pots everywhere and nice stone path in the front yard. Michael exhaled and stood on the porch.

He was ready.

He had been thinking about this for a while, ever since the incident more than a month ago. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened; things that could be avoided or be studied. There were fascinating things in the ocean; creatures of the sea that could be studied. Michael was always interested with the sea; there was a feeling of insignificant whenever he sailed his boat. Life was more than finishing high school and playing video games. He could study the ocean and maybe the shark behavior, and possibly save some lives in the process.

Michael knocked on the front door and waited.

A woman opened the door and seemed surprised to see him. "Mike Brody. What are you doing here?" She opened the door wider and smiled.

Michael nodded and pursed his lips. "How are you, Dr. Elkins?"

"Well, I'm fine as a wine. How are you, Mikey?" Lureen Elkins looked at the boy in front of her. "What can I do for you?" Michael seemed hard to say anything to the kind Marine Biologist. He shuffled his foot around. Lureen smiled and gestured to the porch bench.

"Uh… I need to talk to you, Dr. Elkins."

"Is there something on your mind?" Both of them sat on the bench. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"No, thanks, Dr. Elkins. I just need to discuss something with you."

"Are you okay? You seem… distracted."

Michael nodded. "I have been distracted, Dr. Elkins. Ever since… You know."

Lureen looked at him with sympathy. "Yes, it was an awful incident. I can't imagine what you had been through…"

"I was unconscious most of the time, so I didn't have the same experience like others."

"How are your dad and your little brother?"

"They're fine. Well, dad had been experienced this sort of thing, twice. I hope there won't be a third one."

"You experienced this before too, right?" She looked at him.

"Yeah… I was thirteen years old. Me and my friends were playing in the statuary when this… the thing just ate this guy." He shook his head, trying to get rid of the image of the dead sailor who got eaten.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mikey. No one should experience that traumatic thing."

Michael chuckled, "Maybe our family is cursed or something."

"I don't believe in the curse or bad luck. It is what it is." Lureen tapped his hand. "So… you want to talk to me?"

"Yes, Dr. Elkins." He fiddled with his thumbs. "I don't know how to say this. I am sorry to bother you, but I don't know who else to talk to… My dad's friend, uncle Hooper… well, Matt Hooper – he's a Shark Expert – is not available at the moment."

"I know Mr. Hooper. I met him a couple of times." Lureen grinned. "Short man with a short temper."

"Yeah, you see… he told a story about how a shark ate his boat when he was a kid, and ever since then he's been studying shark."

"I see…"

"He's been a good friend for our family. But he's not here, and I don't know who to discuss this with."

"Discuss what, Mikey?"

Michael looked at the woman sat next to him. "I want to be a Marine Biologist."


	9. Inner Circle

Larry, Patrick, Andy, Bob, Douglas, and Michael were sitting in a circle. Michael rolled a joint, lit it, smoked it, and then passed it to Doug while Larry lit some incense. They were at Andy's basement. His parents were visiting some relatives in the mainland. Michael shook his head and said, "Sean is getting worse with his nightmares. I don't know what to do about him."

"What the doctor said?" Douglas asked and passed the joint to Bob.

"Plenty of rest and shit like that. I don't think the doctor knows what he's talking about. I think Sean had enough rest. He's just restless and bored. But he doesn't want to go out." Michael shrugged.

Bob passed the joint to Andy and coughed, "School starts soon."

Larry snorted and said, "I don't see why school is important now. Seriously, seeing those assholes in school and not to mention teachers… Makes me wanna barf."

"Well, I can't wait to go to school so I can graduate soon and leave this place." Michael said.

"I thought you like it here?" Andy asked while passed the joint to Patrick. He was a little bit hurt that Michael wanted to leave town after only a few years living on the island.

"Can you blame him?" Larry scoffed. "First year, his dad almost got chomp by a giant shark. And now, we were almost fish food." He took the joint from Patrick's hand, even before he had a chance to pass it up. Patrick looked at him annoyed. After few puffs, Larry choked and continued with a strained voice, "No offense, Mike. Your family seems cursed."

"And your dad was a pain and got my dad fired." Michael shot back.

"Hey, I said no offense! And do you see me defending his honor?" Larry raised his hand. "And not to be technical, it was that asshole Peterson and old Harry and those town council who fired your dad. The Mayor, surprisingly, voted your dad to keep his job."

"How the hell do you know that?" Bob drank his beer and threw Larry a peanut.

Larry threw a peanut back and shrugged, "Mom told me. You know, between her sobbing and crying and begging me to come home."

"You shouldn't make your mom cry like that, man." Andy shook his head.

"Hey! It wasn't really my choice. If The Mayor just stops bugging me…"

"My family is not cursed." Michael said. "We live on a freaking island - we're bound to see sharks… and maybe a Kraken."

"What the hell is a Kraken?" Patrick said and then coughed. He drank his beer and coughed again.

"A Kraken is a squid." Douglas answered.

"Oh, well that's not so bad."

"A giant squid – like a big monster of the deep. You know, like in Jules Verne's story."

"Who's Jules Verne?" Patrick asked.

"Read a book, moron!" Douglas threw some peanuts to him, and Patrick retaliated. The boys were throwing some peanuts and chips at each other until they stopped.

Andy groaned, "Y'all are going to clean this place!"

"It's your house." Bob made a comment. "And I think you need some exercise." He poked Andy's belly and got himself a kick. "Aaaah!" For a while, both of them wrestled and fell backward, while other guys just ignored them and continued with the smoking.

"Do you think it would be weird if I asked Tina for a date?" Douglas asked. The guys stopped and looked at Douglas with a pause, and then they laughed. "What?"

"No offense, Dougie – but she's way outta you league." Larry said.

"Hey!"

"I said no offense!" Larry opened another can of beer and drank it. "Besides, do you really want to be THAT guy?"

"What guy?"

Michael grunted, "The REBOUND guy. They guy after her last boyfriend DIED."

"How could you, man? Eddie was our friend!" Andy hit Douglas's arm with his fist.

Douglas winced but he didn't hit back, "Hey! I liked Eddie. But the reality is that he's gone. And I think we should just move on, and it would be good for her too."

"At least wait for a few months or a year, dork. Eddie… died not a long ago." Patrick said with his eyes squinted. He was high already.

The boys went silent; drowned in their own thoughts, about what happened more than a month ago, about their friends, about their lives, and about their future. And most important thing… Food.

"I'm starving." Andy suddenly said. The other boys muttered in agreement.

\--------------

Brooke and Timmy were making out in the backseat of her car. It was obvious that Timmy wasn't really experienced about this as he fumbled about and sloppily kissed her. Brooke pushed him away, but not too hard. She sighed and said, "Damn it, Timmy."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry…" Timmy muttered. "I've never done this before. I mean, Brooke you're so pretty and lovely, I just don't want to disappoint you and after all, we've been through, I thought…"

Brooke giggled and cut out his rambling. She fixed his curly hair and pinched his nose. Timmy awkwardly fixed his glasses. "It's okay, silly." She bit her lip. "Practice makes perfect." She kissed him, and he melted again.

After a while, they parted and breathed hard. "Brooke, I think you're so pretty like… like… one of those… flowers."

Brooke smiled and leaned back on his body. Timmy hugged her from behind and sighed. "You know, Timmy… I feel so much closer to you nowadays."

"Me too…" He kissed her head, sputtered a little because of her massive curly hair. "Although I feel that I should say something before, but I was too shy."

"That's okay…"

"I mean, something terrible happened that got us closer." He muttered. Brooke nodded solemnly. "I wish it didn't happen like this."

"Yeah…"

"Are you okay? Can you sleep?"

"Not really. Several nights I would have nightmares."

"I'm sorry…"

Brooke frowned. She looked up to him. "That's not your fault."

"No, I mean… I'm sorry I had to left you there."

"Well, you had to help Mikey." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "That was very brave of you." If Timmy and Polo didn't help Michael from that shark, he would be dead.

"Polo helped. I wouldn't be able to do it without him. And it was his boat."

Brooke sighed again and Timmy rubbed his hand on her arm. "Polo had been busy. He helped Tina from drowning."

"Yeah, he's a regular Superman." Timmy said.

"I mean he's handsome, tall, wealthy, polite, nice, good dresser, sweet…"

Timmy frowned, "Okay…"

"I don't understand why he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Why don't YOU date him?" He snapped which made Brooke laughed.

"Owwh, you're jealous!"

"I am not." Timmy pouts. Brooke kissed him again, and Timmy stopped being morose. Brooke was just teasing him. They were in the car which was parked near the dog beach. At this time, the beach was rather quiet during the day. The beach was very close from the town, only a few short walk distances.

Suddenly someone threw himself on the car and pressed his face on the car window, which made Brooke shriek and Timmy fumbled. A roared of laughter followed afterward and they saw Larry and the rest of the teenagers were outside the car. "LARRY!"

"Brooke baby, what are you doing? You have your tongue inside his mouth!" Larry laughed, and other teens laughed too. Brooke climbed out the car and chased after Larry. They both were running on the beach while the teens were watching and laughing on the top of the dune. Timmy climbed out the car sheepishly, and everyone hit him jokingly. Brooke caught Larry and tackled him. She then hit him and tickled him which made Larry cried out, 'Uncle!'

"Look at that, your girlfriend is feisty." Douglas gave Timmy a noogie.

"Cut it out, guys!" Timmy tried to release himself. But his friends were trying to give him a hard time in a joking manner.

"Asshole!" Brooke pushed Larry's face and stood up. Larry just laughed; he hardly laughs like this nowadays. She ran towards the other guys and took Timmy's hand. "Let's go, Timmy!" The boys were hooting at them. Brooke turned around and wanted to yell at them when she stopped and looked at a person behind them.

Everyone paused, and looked behind them.

Tina was walking very slowly near the edge of the water. But it seemed she wasn't going to the ocean – she was just walking with her head down.

Not taking any chances, Larry stood up and ran towards her. The rest of teens climbed down the dune hurriedly and ran towards her too. Tina jumped back when Larry suddenly stopped in front of her. Before she could say anything, her friends already in front of her too. "Hey, guys…"

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be out of town with your parents!" Without preamble, Larry barked at her. Tina blinked her eyes in surprise to see Larry yelled at her. Everyone who was watching was surprised to see him yelling at Tina.

Brooke immediately jumped in, "Hey, Tina! How you've been?" She hugged Tina, who seemed delighted and a little bit confused to see her friends around her.

"I'm fine. I just got back with my parents." She looked at Larry who narrowed his eyes. "And I decided to take a walk."

"It's good to see you, Tina. You look great." Michael said softly. Tina smiled at Michael – she remembered how Chief Brody and his wife helped her. Michael's family was really respected in this town with most of the people.

"Yeah, you too. You guys look great too. Hey, Andy. Doug. Bob." She smiled at everyone and saw Patrick, "Hey Patrick. How's Lucy?"

"She's… great. You should go to see her."

"I will. Maybe today or something."

"Cool."

Larry was staring at her intently which made Tina uncomfortable, and everyone noticed the tension. Bob was trying to clear the air, "So… uh. We just got back from the Diner after…a big meal. And we're going to the theater. There's that Dawn of the Dead movie. Do you want to come?"

"Errr… I don't know. I'm not a fan of horror."

"That's cool." Douglas who had a crush on her stepped in. "We could just watch that Superman movie while the rest of the guys can watch horror." His friends collectively rolled their eyes, except Larry who was still watching Tina intently. Tina pursed her lips and smiled awkwardly to Douglas. "Or… whatever you want to watch, I'm cool." Andy nudged Douglas hard which made him winced and glared at him. That was the second time he did that.

"I don't know guys. I think I'm gonna head up home." Tina shrugged. "I told my parents that I'm just walking around. They'd wonder if I don't come home soon…"

"Brooke can take you home." Larry said suddenly. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Larry looked at Brooke pointedly, "She can drive you home."

"It's okay. I can walk back home." Tina said, annoyed.

"No. Brooke will take you home." Larry stubbornly said.

Tina narrowed her eyes towards Larry. "You know, I'm not completely hopeless."

Larry was going to have a rebuttal – and knowing him he would hotly argue about this subject, but Brooke cut him out. "Hey, maybe we should visit Lucy before I drop you home." She stood between Larry and Tina and smiled widely. "I'm sure she will be happy to see us, the girls." Tina smiled at Brooke thankfully. Brooke took her hand and walked back to her car. "I'll see you later, Timmy. Call me?" Without waiting for his reply, the girls walked back to her car hurriedly.

Timmy waved dejectedly. "O – okay?"

Tina looked back over her shoulder and found Larry still staring at her. She blushed; embarrassed because Larry was being an ass and over protective in front of their friends. Say what you want about Larry – he might be a jackass, but his hero complex sometimes put him in trouble. Brooke turned on the ignition and sighed, "He's worried about you. We all are. Don't take it personally."

"I'm not." She watched the guys waved at them from the beach. "I guess I have to thank him." She looked at Larry who seemed tall and magnificent. "Along with Bob and Polo." She added rather hastily. Brooke didn't say anything as she backed the car and drove away, smiling a little. She knew her friends too much. Larry liked Tina, but he didn't know it yet.

Meanwhile at the beach, Timmy was wallowing. "You cock-blocked me, man!" His feature was defeated. "I was doing FINE until you guys showed up!"

"Hey, we don't want anything to happen to Tina, okay?" Larry stabbed his finger to Timmy's chest.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to act like an asshole to her Larry." Bob said.

"In case she forgets, we rescued her. Both of us." Larry pointed himself and to Bob.

"No, I didn't. How many times… It was you and Polo."

"Will you stop acting like you didn't do anything? YOU HELPED. That was mattered."

Before Larry turned into a full blown tantrum, Andy stepped in the middle of Larry and Bob. "Come on guys, she's fine. Everyone is fine. Let's go watch some movies, okay?"

Douglas meekly said, "I could take her home, you know."

"Shut up, Doug!" Everyone yelled.

"Jeez, hostile much?" Douglas muttered. He and the rest of the guys walked back from the beach. "I could watch Superman with her."

As the guys chatted among themselves, Patrick walked beside Larry and whispered. "What the hell was that, dude?"

"What was what?"

"You… and Tina?"

"What?"

"You were acting like her boyfriend or something."

Larry hit Patrick in the arm. "Hey! I'm her friend. She needs to sort out her priority. Walking around near the beach after she almost drowned herself is not a choice. I don't want to rescue her again."

Patrick raised his hands, "Okay. Fine."

"Fine."

"I still think you were being…"

"Finish that sentence and I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"You can't even catch me!" Patrick kicked him in the butt and then ran, laughing. Larry chased after him and the boys followed. Timmy groaned and ran after them.


	10. Bonfire

Bob's grandmother decided that he didn't need any more punishment after what happened with him and the shark incident more than a month ago. Bob hasn't grounded anymore but his grandmother had sternly telling him not to look for trouble. Bob argued that they were saving Tina, but she wouldn't listen. He decided to stay low in front of his grandmother. He told her that he would spend some time with his friends in town instead at the beach or anywhere near water; which was very hard because they lived on an island.

To tell the truth, Bob missed the ocean. He missed sailing with his friends, or just hanging out near the beach, watching the girls and making fun of the tourists.

Ever since the shark incident, the island was doubled with tourists and reporters. You'd think that the news about a giant shark that had been eating people for the last half of a decade at the same tourist destination would put people off, but apparently, it just made them curious. Tourists were flocking from the mainland and the townspeople found themselves swimming with money. Len Peterson and most of the townspeople were delighted.

Bob wasn't grounded anymore – but it didn't mean that he could do whatever he wants. So as he climbed down from the window in the middle night, carefully not to wake his grandmother, he thought he was going to hell for lying to his nana. He quietly walked out from his front yard and ran in the middle of the night, towards the dog beach.

\----------

Patrick stood under Lucy's window and threw some small pebbles on it. The quiet taps from the pebbles woke Lucy up and she walked to the window. She saw Patrick waved his hand and sighed. She opened the windowsill, looked down, and whispered yelled, "What are you doing?"

"We're going to the dog beach." Patrick answered.

"What? In the middle of the night?" She didn't want to remember that the beach looked scary in the middle of the night.

"Come on, everyone is gonna be there."

"Who?"

"Everyone." Patrick looked up and motioned her to come down.

"I'm not coming."

"Come on, Lucy. We're having a bonfire."

"My parents are gonna kill me."

"No they won't." Patrick begged her.

Lucy shook her head and said, "NO." She closed the window and sat on her bed. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and sighed. Now she couldn't sleep. A few minutes later, she heard a grunt and a tap on her window. She widened her eyes when she saw Patrick was clinging on the side of her window and opened it. "Good God, Patrick!" She opened the window and ushered him inside. He tumbled down and she shushed him. "Do you want my parents to find out?" Before she could say anything more, Patrick stood up and hugged her. "Patrick, what are you –"

Patrick kissed her deeply which surprised her. She circled her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They fell back on her bed, with her on top of him. Their make out session was really hot, for a while Patrick forgot the reason why he came over to her house. It was when he touched her torso and she winced, he drew his hand back and broke off the kiss. "God, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Her lips were swollen and her hair was tousled, Patrick thought she looked beautiful.

"I miss you, Lucy…" He sat up and kissed her. She giggled quietly when he kissed her neck and she straddled him. "I haven't seen you for a while… you've been spending time in the church for a while, you barely have time with me…" The very mention of church sobered her up, especially when his hand already inside her shirt and touched her breast. She gasped a little and then pushed him away and stood up. She then walked away from him and paces around the room. Patrick was flabbergasted – what just happened?

"Lucy… is there something wrong?"

"Patrick… I think you should go." Lucy said quietly. She had a guilty look, and she couldn't see him in the eyes.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Lucy looked at Patrick, who looked at her with his puppy dog eyes. She wanted to cry, but she had to do this. And it broke her heart that she had to do this.

"Patrick…. I love you." She said. Patrick looked at her and then smiled and he was about to say the same thing when she cut him off. "That is why it's so hard for me to tell you… that… I'm breaking up with you."

It took several seconds for Patrick to absorb what she just said. He blinked several times and he felt like someone just punched him in the gut. "What did you just say?!"

"Keep your voice down."

Patrick inhaled and breathed hard. This was not happening. His girlfriend didn't just say that she was breaking up with him!

"Why… what… I don't understand." Lucy sniffled and Patrick made a move to console her when she backed away. Tears were visible from her eyes. "Lucy… I love you. And you love me, I don't understand why…" She sobbed a bit but managed to compose herself. She sat down next to Patrick on her bed and looked down at her fingers. Patrick moved his hands and intertwined his fingers with hers. He kissed her head and buried his face in her hair. She smelled like fresh vanilla. "Is it… because of the sex? Lucy, you know I never pressure you or anything. I don't mind waiting…"

Lucy put her fingers to his mouth to stopped him from talking some more. "Patrick… when that shark… attacked us… I thought we were going to die, and I almost lost hope that we weren't able to see each other again, alive…" She looked at his face. How much she loved him and it was very hard to say this. "And then I remember when we were floating and everyone else was screaming and in panic and me just… pray." She looked at him, teary. "And it worked as everyone was quiet and calm. And everyone was able to work together – well, apart from Jackie." Patrick rolled his eyes. Jackie was a nuisance. "When that shark…."

"Yeah…?" He whispered and leaned his head onto her.

She closed her eyes. "When that shark avoided me, and only managed to scrap me, I saw my life passing me by. And… I saw myself in a church wearing a white gown. And…" She paused and stood up. She paced around the room. "I felt like the Lord had saved me."

"Of course, Lucy. God saved us all."

"No, Patrick. Marge and that pilot died. And we almost died too. For some reason, that shark DIDN'T kill me. It went past me like I was nothing. That was impossible."

"Miracle happens every time…"

"Exactly! A miracle." Lucy spread her arms. "It happened to me." She kneeled in front of him and held his hands. "God has chosen me." She looked at him expectantly.

"I still don't understand why we're breaking up."

"Don't you see, Patrick? God has chosen me not to die so I can serve Him."

"Okay…"

"Patrick…" She looked at him. "I have to tell you something."

\-----------

The boys were already settled in the beach. There was a bonfire and everyone surrounded it while drinking some beer and smoking some pot. They missed this: hanging out at the beach and just having fun.

The boys were passing up the joint and they were talking freely. Larry was telling a funny joke and everyone was laughing. Andy was telling his day cleaning up the boats and yachts in the marina, and how much the tourists were a pain in the ass. Bob was telling a story about his grandmother was forcing him to take her to the beauty salon, and everyone was teasing him whether he would get his hair done. Douglas was telling the guys about how much Dawn of the Dead was scary and everyone was making fun of him because he was so scared during the movie. Michael was telling that he had to take a second job at a bookstore, but the reporters were harassing him constantly. Timmy was telling how much he liked Brooke, which his friends were teasing him.

"Too bad Polo is not here." Michael made a comment.

"Yeah, Polo usually brings grade 'A' quality of grass." Larry nodded and everyone agreed.

"Where's Patrick?" Andy asked while smoking his joint.

"I think he mentioned that he wants to bring Lucy." Douglas answered.

"Far out." Andy said while passing the joint to Michael.

"Hey, that's Brooke!" Bob said and Timmy immediately perked. The guys laughed as he basically flew over her and greeted her. "And she's bringing Tina." Douglas stood up immediately.

Larry looked up and saw two girls were walking down the beach, hand in hand. Larry looked away and drank his beer.

"Come on girls, sit here!" Timmy said to both girls happily. Brooke just laughed and pecked Timmy on the cheek which made everyone clapped their hands.

"Shut up!" Timmy said.

"Here, we have some blankets." Andy gallantly put a blanket on the sand, and the girls sat on the blanket, facing the fire. "You guys wanna some drinks?" He tossed them some beers. Douglas hurriedly sat next to Tina, and almost pushed Andy in the process. Andy rolled his eyes, and everyone grinned for Douglas' obvious antic. Timmy sat next to Brooke, and they immediately cuddled. Tina smiled to everyone – she felt awkward, but she didn't want to show it.

"You look great, Tina." Bob said.

Tina smiled and said, "Thanks. I feel great."

"That's awesome." Michael said. "Mom said you should come over to have dinner with us. Sean misses you." Larry looked up to Michael and frowned. He realized that Michael wasn't hitting on her, so he looked away again.

Tina's smile grew and she said, "Thanks, Mikey. How nice of you. Yeah, I will come."

"What? Are we not invited? How rude!" Andy pouted jokingly. Everyone laughed except Larry. He glanced at Tina, who seemed had a glow. She wasn't pale anymore. But there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes, and Larry saw it.

"Dude, tell me if you grew a pair of boobs and I will invite you." Michael said and laughed when Andy threw him a marshmallow.

"Where's Patrick?" Brooke asked. She was leaning on Timmy and he circled his arms from behind.

"He's picking up Lucy." Douglas offered the joint to Tina, who looked at it reluctantly but took it anyway. Everyone watched Tina smoked it and then passed it to Brooke. Tina closed her eyes – she needed this; some relaxation with her friends. Maybe it would keep her mind from Eddie…

"Did you guys see Lucy the other day?" Timmy asked.

"Yeah… it was weird, though. She was being weird." Brooke answered while Tina glanced at Larry. He stared at her and then looked away. He didn't say any word towards the girl at all ever since they arrived at the beach.

"Weird like how?" Bob asked while opening a new beer.

"She was talking about Jesus this, Jesus that, God this, God that… and she was like… in trance or something. Right, Tina?" Brooke nudged Tina with her shoe. Tina nodded but didn't say a word. Her cheeks suddenly felt warm as she felt Larry's look upon her.

"Huh. I wonder what happened. I mean, Patrick is taking forever coming here." Andy said.

"Probably they're doing it." Larry made a comment. Everyone chuckled and looked at him. This was the first time he opened his mouth since the girls arrived. "The man needs some lovin'. It's been a while, you know."

"That's crude." Tina said.

"But it's true." Larry said. He stared at Tina again, and Tina looked away. She was shivering, and Douglas thought it was pretty windy so he offered her his jacket. Tina didn't say anything but she wrapped herself with Douglas jacket and thanked him quietly.

"Well, we should do this more often. Let's go back next week and have a bonfire in the middle night when the adults are sleeping and nobody is bothering us." Andy said.

"Hear, hear." Everyone agreed.

"Maybe Polo would be here." Tina suddenly said. "I haven't seen him for a while." Larry narrowed his eyes; it was apparent that he didn't like the idea that Tina was asking about Polo. Tina didn't mean anything by asking about Polo. He was their friends, but it was obvious that Larry was jealous. And only Brooke, Andy, Bob, and Michael saw this new behavior from him.

Larry likes Tina… shit.

Douglas cleared his throat. "Well, Polo will be back when the school starts. You know how his parents are. They want him to go to the Ivy League or something."

"Speaking of college, I can't believe you're ditching us Mikey." Andy said.

"I told you, I'm not ditching you guys. It's just… I decided that I want to go to college outside the state. It doesn't mean that I hate here, guys. Will you relax?"

"You're not an islander, so you don't know how it feels." Douglas said.

"Oh, don't give me that crap." Michael threw a marshmallow to him, and Douglas caught it with his mouth. Everyone clapped their hands and laughed. Even Larry cracked a smile to see his friends behaving. He glanced again to Tina who was smiling at Douglas.

"Hey, that's Patrick!" Timmy said and waved his hand. They saw Patrick was walking slowly towards the group. He had his head low and his posture seemed down. "Wassup with him?"

Patrick arrived at the bonfire, and for a while he couldn't say anything. Everyone was looking at him, confused.

"Patrick? Wassup, buddy?" Andy stood up and put his hand on his shoulder. He was surprised to see Patrick's eyes were red when he looked up. "Dude, are you alright?"

"Hey…" Patrick croaked. He had his hands shoved down into his pockets. "Pretty cool weather, huh?"

"Patrick… are you okay, dude?" Larry asked and patted a space next to him.

Patrick sat down next to Larry while Andy grabbed him a beer. "Do you have anything stronger than beer?"

"Dude, what's going on? Where's Lucy?" Brooke asked. The very mention of Lucy made Patrick hurt, and he lowered his head trying to keep his tears fall down. "Patrick?"

"Ah, sorry guys. I didn't mean to be a downer."

Larry put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "What's wrong?" He whispered. Everyone was looking at him curiously.

Patrick gave a half sob half chuckle. "Tina and me… well, we just broke up."

"WHAT?" Everyone was so surprised.

"Oh my God, Patrick… what happened?" Tina asked.

Patrick looked up from the very mention of God. "GOD happened, that's what." He sniffled.

"What the hell happened?" Larry asked quietly.

Patrick wiped a tear roughly from his cheek. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Lucy… has decided…" He looked at his friends. "She has decided that she wants to become a nun."


	11. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Ellen was cooking in the kitchen when Michael strolled in and opened the refrigerator. He looked inside the icebox but not really searching for anything. Ellen muttered, "Grab what you want and close the door. You're gonna let the cold out from that fridge."

"Sorry." He closed the refrigerator door. He was still staring at the fridge – looking at Sean's drawings and notes on the door.

It had been a week after the bonfire, a few weeks before the school starts, and the teens found themselves restless. It was a progress compared to the previous weeks when they were feeling numb and walking around like zombies. At least they were feeling alive nowadays; maybe because they were starting to move on – at least for some.

Larry was still angry but he hardly lashes out anymore. In fact, he seemed to brood all the time.

Michael had been spending some time with Dr. Elkins to prepare him for SAT and university. He hadn't been telling his parents about his desire to be a Marine Biologist. He could imagine his parents' reactions about this; they wanted him to be a businessman and maybe successful in life – not something like this.

But he was determined.

"Why are you staring at the fridge?" Ellen asked without looking.

Michael looked to his mom and shrugged. "I forgot what I want."

"Well, while you're doing that, can you go to the shop and buy me some sodas? We ran out."

"Yeah, sure. Hey, thanks for cooking for dinner tonight."

"I always cook for dinner."

"I know… I just want to thank you." Michael said. Ellen finally looked away from the stove and frowned at her son.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah?"

"Something on your mind?"

"No… why?"

"You've been quiet for the past few days."

"I don't think so."

Ellen gave her son a look but she decided not to pursue this. "Well, I'm glad we're having this dinner. Sean is happy that you invited Tina." She looked at her son. "Do you have a crush on her or something?"

Michael made a face. "Uh, no. She's a friend."

"A very pretty friend…" Ellen said knowingly. "Miss Amity Island 1976. Miss Amity Island 1977. Miss…"

"I got the point, mom."

"So why don't you date her?"

"Because she's a friend?" Michael rolled his eyes. "Besides, I don't think Larry would appreciate that."

Ellen's eyes widened and she stopped stirring the pot. "Larry? Larry Junior? Larry who stays in our home?"

"Do we know any other Larry?" Michael grunted. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you just heard a juicy gossip!"

Ellen grinned and reached for her son. She ruffled his hair while he squirmed. "There's nothing going on on this island. I need a little pick me up once for a while."

"Really? Nothing's going on on this island?"

"You know what I mean."

"Well, don't tell him I said that. He would throw a fit. You know how he is."

Ellen turned off the stove and grabbed her purse to get some money. "So… how do you know that he likes her?" She gave the money to Michael. "I mean, did he tell you or something?"

"Pffft, of course not." He pocketed the money. "Everyone can see that he has a crush on her. But I don't think he realizes it yet."

"And do you… have a crush on her too?"

"Ugh, no MOM. She's a friend." He walked to the door when his mom, with a teasing voice, asked him.

"I guess you're still hung up on Jackie, huh?"

Michael scoffed and shook his head. "Not a slightest!" He pushed the screen door and called back. "Don't tell dad about this!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tina took a bus and walked to the Brody's house near the beach. Her parents offered her to take her to Brody's, but she declined. She really didn't want her parents to make a fuss – ever since she drowned, her parents were so worried that she would try to kill herself again.

Tina learned her lesson – when she drowned, it was one of the most horrible experiences that she ever had. She thought witnessing Eddie's death would be the most horrible thing, but…

She shivered while clutching a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers. It wasn't expensive wine or anything; she got it for $20 after discount. She needed to bring something to the Brody's. Tina really liked the family – they were nice. She respected the former Sheriff and his wife, and she liked hanging out with Michael. She and Michael were nothing but friends and it seemed they became closer than ever.

Although she realized that Larry was also staying at the Brody's.

She sighed when she arrived at the driveway. It was a nice small beach house – it wasn't as big as hers, but it looked comfortable. She'd been to Larry's house; the mayor's house was really big, but she never liked it. It was cold and seemed stiff. Mayor Vaughn was always smiling but he was faking it, she knew that. Sheriff Brody's smile was always genuine with the people he likes. Tina always caught him rolling his eyes whenever he got pissed with people he hates.

She dressed very nice tonight – a flowery blouse and a knee length skirt. She wore a pair of platform shoes, which hurt a little because she walked a bit from the bus stop, but she looked cute nonetheless.

Tina arrived at the Brody's and knocked on the door.

She didn't expect Larry to open the door.

Both of them didn't say anything for a while. She blinked to see Larry looked different tonight; she knew the boy was handsome, but she didn't expect him to look… nice. He was wearing a shirt and pants, that were definitely being ironed, with a pair of shiny shoes. The damn boy looked like a choir boy. The only thing that didn't change was his Pukka shell necklace.

Tina was about to say something when Michael intervened, "When you two are done staring at each other, I would like to get something to eat now." Both Larry and Tina looked at Michael who was smirking inside the house. He pushed Larry away and kissed Tina's cheek in a friendly manner, but still got a glare from Larry. "How are you, Tina? Don't just stand there, come on in!"

"Ah, thank you for inviting me Mikey." She smiled gorgeously as Michael ushered her into the house.

"No sweat. We're all HAPPY to see you." He glanced at Larry who pretended to look elsewhere. "Mom, dad, Tina is here!"

Ellen welcomed Tina to the house and they were chatting for a while. Tina gave the flowers to Ellen and she was happy while Michael grabbed the wine and brought it to the kitchen. Ellen thanked her for the wine and flowers and circled her arm to Tina's. Larry was hovering around both women, not knowing what to do.

He thought that Tina looked great, and she smelled nice.

Sean was running down the stairs and immediately hugged Tina. She laughed and ruffled his hair. "Hello, sport. How are you?"

"Eh, I'm good. So happy that you're here! Mom cooked lobsters!" He then pulled Tina into the living room where his dad was greeting her.

"Hey, Tina. How are you?" Martin kissed Tina's cheek and hugged her.

"I'm fine, Chief." She smiled.

"Yeah, you look good. You got some color on you." He pointed her cheeks. Tina smiled brightly again, and Larry's ears turned red. Ellen saw it and she wanted to laugh, but Michael nudged her. "Ellen, we're starving."

"Oh, hold your horses. We have to prepare the table first."

"Let me help you, Mrs. Brody." She went to the kitchen with Ellen, while Sean tagged along.

While the women were busy in the kitchen, the men were sitting in the living room, watching the news. Michael noticed that Larry kept glancing into the kitchen and his leg couldn't stop moving. Michael looked at him, annoyed. For a bad boy with a tough exterior, Larry was so obvious with his crushing. And he didn't even realize it.

"Hey, look man." Michael whispered. "Just tell her that you like her."

Larry stopped fidgeting and he looked at Michael with a horrified expression. "Shut up, Mike!" He whispered yell.

"Nothing's wrong with liking her."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Tina. You like her. Tell her that you like her." Michael shrugged. Larry was going to hit him on the arm, but he looked at Martin who was glued to the television. Not a very good idea to hit the son of the sheriff who was kind enough to let him stay at his house.

"I don't like her. I mean, I like her." Larry hissed. "As a friend!" He glanced again to the kitchen and saw Tina was laughing at something Mrs. Brody was saying. "And it's not fair for Eddie either."

Michael pursed his lips. "You're right. Yeah, don't tell her anything. Just… keep them there very close. Don't let them out." He stood up and patted Larry's head. Larry was really annoyed, he wanted to kick Michael's ass.

"Dinner!" Ellen called.

Dinner was served in the dining room. As always, Martin sat at the head of the table, drinking a glass of wine from Tina's bottle. Tina had the honor of sitting next to Martin while Ellen sat in front of her. They were chatting about school and Miss Amity competition. Larry sat next to Ellen; occasionally glanced at Tina. Sean sat next to Tina, and Michael sat at the other head of the table. He looked at Larry who was very quiet. Ellen noticed that Larry was very quiet too, and she looked at Michael. Michael noticed that his mom gave him a look, and he shook his head, telepathically trying to warn his mom not to say anything.

"So, Larry… What you've been up to? You've been awfully quiet this evening."

Michael rolled his eyes to his mother.

"Nothing, Mrs. Brody."

"Oh, come on. Tell us something. Is it true that there's a girl that you really like?"

Larry choked on his drink while Michael grimaced.

He's going to kick my ass after this, Michael thought.

"I don't know what you heard, Mrs. Brody… but no." He wiped his mouth and glared at Michael. Michael actually wanted to laugh.

"Ewww… Larry likes a girl!" Sean made a comment.

"No, I don't." Larry gritted his teeth. If he didn't remember that Sean's parents in the room, he would smack the little boy's head.

"I think it's great that you like a girl. So, who is it?" Ellen prodded. She stole a knowing glance towards Tina, who lowered her head down, playing with her food. Yes, this situation was not awkward at all.

"Mrs. Brody!"

"Let the boy alone, Ellen." Martin said to his wife, but he was smirking.

"Oh, I'm just teasing." She ruffled Larry's hair lovingly. Larry let her do that because secretly he liked it when Mrs. Brody treated him like a kid. But he put a sour face for a measure. "So what's she like?"

"Yeah, Larry. What's she like?" Michael deadpanned, and Larry gave him a murderous look.

"There's nobody, Michael." He was on a verge of having a tantrum.

"I think you should bring her to dinner, here. Introduce her to us." Ellen grinned. She liked to tease her boys – sometimes a little normalcy was needed in this household. And she craved a normal life right now. Her husband was out of a job and had been moping around the house, drinking beer. Her youngest son was bored out of his skull but he didn't want to step outside the house. His oldest son was keeping secret from everyone…. So yes, she needed this.

"Mrs. Brody, I DON'T LIKE ANYBODY!" Larry almost yelled.

Martin burst out laughing, including everyone at the table, except Tina who basically sinking into her seat. "Oh, chill out kid. Come on, have a glass of wine."

"Martin." Ellen raised her eyebrow.

"He's eighteen. Just for tonight, Ellen. Hey, I'm the ex-chief of police." He poured a glass of wine to Larry's glass, who took it grumpily. "Not you, Mikey." He said to his son when Michael pushed his own glass to his dad. Michael made a face and Larry smirked in victory. "Can I offer you a glass of wine, Tina?"

"I rather not. I'm taking a bus home anyway." She smiled. "My parents would be prissy if I come home with an alcohol breath."

"Michael will drive you home, don't worry." Martin said. "I will tell your parents that you had a sip of wine." Larry was about to drink his wine when he heard that Michael would take her home, he immediately put the glass down. "You're not drinking, boy?"

"I think Michael would get jealous, I feel bad so I'm gonna be his company." Larry answered and looked at Michael pointedly.

"Jeez, thanks, Larry." Michael said sarcastically.

"Alright. You two can take her home. You don't mind, Tina?" Martin asked the girl.

Tina smiled and shook her head. "Thank you."

"So let's have some dessert!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe that your friend Lucy is going to become a nun. Can she do that?" Ellen asked while eating a piece of blueberry pie.

"Her parents wouldn't let her – at least not until she's 18 Mrs. Brody." Tina shook her head. "But I think she's very determined. I talked to her about it, and she already made her decision."

Sean interjected, "Can I be a nun?"

"You have to be a girl first, Sean." Michael said.

"Poor girl." Martin said. "I think she's too pretty to become a nun."

"Patrick is pretty piss – I mean, pretty upset about it." Larry said, immediately grinning when Ellen gave him a look.

"Are they still together?" Martin asked.

"Not really." Larry answered. "He's been moaning about it."

"All the time." Michael also said. Larry nodded.

"Well, at least he doesn't lose her at all…" Tina said quietly. Everyone at the table went silent hearing Tina saying that. Suddenly it went very awkward; there was an elephant in the room named Eddie. Martin cleared his throat and patted Tina's arm. She smiled to the family. "I am really glad that I am here. Alive. Thank you for inviting me."

"It's our pleasure, Tina." Martin said. He clinked his wine glass to hers.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ellen insisted that Tina should go outside to the backyard near the jetty with Michael and Larry while she cleaned the table after dinner. Sean already sat in front of the TV while Martin sat on the back porch, watching the teens walking near the jetty.

Ellen approached him, sighed, and sat next to him.

"What's wrong with Larry tonight?" Martin asked.

"He likes Tina." Ellen answered shortly.

"Ah… No wonder you teased him." He watched Michael, Tina, and Larry walk towards the dock... "How about Michael? He likes her?"

"He said that he likes her as a friend. And I believe him. It seems something else is bugging him."

Martin frowned. "He seems fine to me."

"Martin…" Ellen sighed. "I think you need to talk to him. I think he feels guilty ever since the incident."

"You know it's in the past. Everyone is safe… well, most of them. But he's alive."

"I think he's rather upset that you were angry at him when he took Sean to that boat trip." Ellen shuddered to remember just more than a month ago that she almost lost her boys.

"But I didn't blame him, if that's you're implying."

"No, I didn't imply anything. I think he's just feeling guilty, that's all." She glanced into the living room where Sean was lounging around in the living room. "And Sean is feeling guilty because of Marge."

"I can understand that. Do you know how many nightmares I had about Quint? He got swallowed up by that giant shark, right in front of my eyes. I can still hear the bones crunching when it bit his legs and he screamed in agony." He said it in a flat tone, and Ellen shook her head, trying to get the image out of her head. "He was a difficult man, but he didn't deserve to die. I held his hand but he slipped and…"

Ellen held her husband's hand. "I'm sorry."

"He was such a jackass. He destroyed the CB radio so we wouldn't able to call for help. He went mad." Martin sighed and squeezed her hand. "His obsession with that shark got him killed."

"I don't want you to get obsessed too, Marty…" Ellen quietly said. "But without your persistence, we wouldn't able to save the kids." She kissed his hand. "I love you. Thank you for saving our children's lives."

"I love you, Ellen." He kissed her cheek. They snuggled in the chair and watched the view. The teens were only silhouettes under the moonlight.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I need to get away from this island." Larry said while they were having a stroll on the jetty. He looked behind and saw the house. "I think I reach the point where I just want to scream whenever I see boats and white picket fences." He grumbled. "I need to see skyscrapers and hookers and dirty alleys with sleeping bums and I can get some pots everywhere."

"Nice." Tina commented. She shook her head and smirked. "Don't forget to send us some postcards and pictures of you with a long beard and a guitar."

"Damn dirty hippy." Michael said, and the three of them chuckled.

They went quiet and walked until the end of the jetty. Larry and Michael sat down on the edge, with their feet dangling. Tina took off her shoes and squeezed herself between the two boys, and sat down with her feet dangling too.

The dark ocean was upon them.

"I can't believe they're gone." Tina whispered. Both boys didn't answer but just looked at the dark horizon. "And you know the worst part is?"

"What?" Michael asked without looking at her.

"I'm okay with it and I'm letting them go." She said. "And I hate myself for it."

Larry looked at her and circled his arm around her. She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Michael nodded and thought about how he felt the same way. "Me too…"


	12. Two Steps Back

#### Next weekend, 1978

"Sean is getting worse." Ellen said to her husband. She was smoking her cigarette while sitting on the swing in their front yard. It was a couple of weeks before the school starts, and the family found themselves getting very anxious. "He fell asleep in the bathtub and woke up screaming." Martin looked at his wife and sighed. He lit his own cigarette and watched the ocean from afar. "He's taking Marge's death very hard."

"He's eight. Of course he's taking her death very hard." He mumbled, "We all are."

"Larry said that Marge saved his life. I can't even look at Marge's parents without feeling guilty."

"You saw Mr. and Mrs. Swans?"

Ellen nodded and blew a smoke ring. She usually didn't smoke, but she was really under stress lately. "I was at the farmer's market with Sean, and we bumped into them. You should've seen their faces. I don't know whether they want to blame Sean for their daughter's death, or they want to adopt Sean and replacing their daughter."

Martin sat on the grass and watched his wife contemplate something. "What are you thinking?"

Ellen looked at her husband and sighed again. "Martin, I think we should move back to New York."

Martin pursed his lips. That would be like taking two steps back. "You know the reason why we left New York."

"That was before… everything."

"Everything will be okay, eventually."

"We said the same thing when we lived in New York." Ellen said. She flicked her cigarette away. "We were worried about robberies, drugs, guns… those are human problems. We can handle that stuff." She waved her hand towards the ocean, "But that… that's harder."

"We have our lives here in Amity, Ellen."

Ellen looked at her husband, and her eyes were watery. "When you went away with Quint and Hooper, I thought that was the last time I'd see you again. And it nearly happened." Ellen stood up and fixed her skirt. "I almost lost my family twice, Marty… I'm not gonna lose my family again."

Martin looked up and quietly said to his wife, "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying…" She paused. "We have to leave this goddamn island."

# \--------------------------------

Tina walked very slowly towards the bus stop as she carried her grocery bags. She didn't want to go to the regular grocery store near her house because the people there couldn't stop staring and whispering at her whenever she was around, so she took a bus and went to a different grocery store which took her around 15 minutes to get there. Although she still gets the stares from other people, at least it wasn't as intense as the one near her house. The town was so small; everyone knew each other most of the time. Tina hated it when her neighbors came to her house and she gets looks of pity from them. They said that they'd care about her well-being, which she thought it was bullshit. Tina felt like she was being smothered by everyone.

She was glad at least her friends didn't smother her because they experienced the same thing.

Tina was walking down the street near a Diner when she dropped one of her grocery bags. She cursed to herself and bent down to pick up the paper bag, when a bunch of kids, probably younger than her, were walking nearby and yelled, "SHARK!"

She startled and dropped another bag. She looked at the kids who were laughing, gritted her teeth and picked up some of the stuff that fell out from the grocery bags. One big kid, despite his age and wearing a retainer, stomp on a bag of chips. The chips bag burst open and made some crunch noise when the kid walked all over it as he guffawed. Tina was angry and about to yell, when from the corner of her eye, she saw a blur and the next thing she knew, that big kid was thrown against the wall.

Larry was holding the kid's collar and he pressed him on the wall. "How about I throw you to the ocean and feed you to the shark, you little punk?! Apologize to her!"

"Larry!"

The bully kid tried to get out from Larry's grasp with no avail, but he hurled some insults to Larry. "That shark should just eat you all, you piece of -"

Larry slapped the kid hard on the cheek, which made the kid stumbled away holding his head and cried. "What?! What were you gonna say, you little brat!" The kid and his friends scattered away. Some of them hurled some expletive words towards Larry. A bunch of patron from the Diner looked towards them and then went back to their business after it was over. Larry turned around to see Tina was on her knees, picking up her groceries. He bent down too and muttered, "Let me help you."

"I got it." She said and swatted his hand.

Larry blinked to see her angry. "What?"

"I said I got it." She hurriedly put everything back in her grocery bags. "I'm gonna miss my bus."

"Let me take your home. I got my car around the block." He grabbed a can of soda and was about to put it in the bag when she snatched it and put it in the bag herself. "Okay…"

"I don't need your help. I'm taking a bus." She blew her bang from her face angrily.

Larry was flabbergasted. Why she was angry at him?

And typical Larry, he started to get defensive. "I don't know what's your problem, missy. I was trying to help. That kid was being an ass."

Tina grunted and started to walk when she saw her bus drove away. "Crap." She turned around and saw Larry was walking towards his car, hands in his pockets, muttering something. Tina exhaled loudly and yelled to him, "Wait…!"

# \-------------------------------------

"I don't want to leave." Michael said to his parents. They were in the kitchen, while Sean was upstairs taking a nap. Michael crossed his arms while Martin was standing next to him, drinking a bottle of beer. Ellen crossed her arms too and looked annoyed. "Mom, I'm going to start senior year in a two weeks. I don't think it's a good idea to start my senior year in a new school!"

"Mikey, we need to think of Sean. He's afraid of everything especially water. And I need to remind you, that we are living on an island." His mother said.

"Oh, please remind me constantly. I always forget!"

"Mike." His father warned him about his sarcasm.

"Well, I'm sorry mom and dad… but really, are we going back to New York?"

"Listen, we haven't decided yet. But if this is for the best…"

"Best for Sean, I bet."

"You really need to control your porky mouth, Mike." Ellen said.

"I'm sorry for what happened to Sean. I know I take the responsibility for that. I know I was wrong taking him for the sailboat trip. I didn't know bad things would happen at the time." Michael tried to control his emotion. "But either we can move on or we can dwell with this. Right now, we're not helping him by running away." Before Ellen can retort, Michael held his hand up. "Mom, I love you. But you really need to stop babying him. He's so lazy right now because he's a brat who thinks he can get away with anything."

"Michael!"

"Okay, enough. Go to your room. I need to talk to your mother alone." Martin said. Michael grunted and stomped away from the kitchen. Martin stared at his wife and sighed, "He's right, you know."

"About Sean being a brat?"

"No. About us running away."

"Isn't that the basis how we ended up here? We left New York because of the same reason?"

"It's different."

"No, honey. We left because we didn't want to become victims. We left when our neighbor Mr. Rosatti was murdered in his apartment by his partner because apparently, he sold some cracks to kids. That was the last straw." Ellen pointed out the window. "Shit started to get real when our family was attacked by sharks TWICE! And I'm not going to let another attack for the third time!"

Both adults went quiet as they were facing each other. They could hear the sound of the ocean from afar. After a while, Martin broke the silence. "They called me and offered me the Sheriff position again."

Ellen looked up in a surprise. "When?"

"Two days ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I need time to think. I haven't said yes."

Ellen looked at her husband and quietly asked, "Are you going to take it?"

Martin drank his beer and put the bottle on the kitchen counter. "Ellen… I really like my job - regardless the town's people." Ellen looked away as she wiped some tears. Martin sighed and hugged his wife. "But I love my family more." He kissed her head. "I have some ideas."

# \----------------------------------

The drive from the town to Tina's house was quiet. Tina lived on the other side of the island, so the drive took a while. Tina looked out the window and saw how the island was actually beautiful with meadows and sandy beaches. Larry glanced to side to see Tina was looking very thoughtful and decided that she looked pretty.

Larry decided to take a risk and asked Tina, "Why you were angry at me when I helped you back there?"

Tina looked at him and sighed, "Larry… you slapped that kid."

"And?"

"You shouldn't have."

"Oh well, excuse me. Next time, I'll let them bully you!" He snapped.

Tina didn't answer, just sighed. It was no use arguing with Larry because he was such a hot head. "It's not that. He's just a kid."

"Somebody should teach that kid a lesson for bullying other people, especially girls." Tina suddenly grinned and chuckled. Larry frowned to see her behavior. "What?"

"I remember when we were in 4th grade; you used to pull Lucy's pigtails."

"Yeah, so?"

"Larry, you were such a bratty bully back then." Tina held up her hand. "Correction; still a bratty kid."

"Hey, I resent that. I'm eighteen. I'm not a kid anymore."

"Okay, a bratty man then."

Larry grinned. "That's better."

They went quiet again. Tina watched the view outside – she realized how much she liked this island. Even after all what happened to her and her friends. She broke the silence and said, "Thanks for helping me out back there."

Larry shrugged, "Nah. I knew you could handle it."

"I'd probably box his ear."

They both laughed.

"It's so nice to able to laugh again." Tina said. "I really had a nice time at the Brody's." She looked at him, "They adopted you now?"

Larry smirked, "I am trying very hard to replace Mike."

Tina shook her head, "You both are so silly."

He pursed his lips. "So… what do you think about Mike?"

Tina glanced at him, "Mike is nice."

"Just nice?"

"He's very cute."

"CUTE?" Larry asked, a little high pitched.

Tina snorted, "What's the matter, Vaughn? You like him?"

"Shut up. No, I mean… what do you mean he's cute?"

"I mean, he's cute. Handsome even."

"OH, handsome even!" Larry roared, which made Tina laughed.

"Don't tell me you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous, and he's not THAT handsome."

"You and your ego can fill a fish tank."

"Only a fish tank?" Larry made a face. Tina laughed again and hit him playfully. "Hey, watch it. I'm driving."

"You're an ass."

"I'm a super ass. Don't forget that."

"No, I won't." Tina looked at him. "You're actually nice."

"Hey, don't tell anyone. I have a reputation."

Tina rolled her eyes and Larry just grinned.

They arrived at her house, and they went silent again. Tina busied herself gathering the groceries, and she looked up to Larry. "Thanks for the ride."

"Hey, no problem."

Tina didn't think when she moved forward and kissed Larry on the cheek. Larry didn't have time to wrap his mind around the kiss as he gawked at Tina who already climbed out the car, carrying the groceries, and ran to her house. He looked at the house and felt his cheek burn.

He rested his head on the steering wheel and muttered, "Crap. What am I gonna do…"

# \--------------------------------

Larry walked into the Brody's living room with a dazed.

Michael frowned to see him, "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

Larry had a goofy smile on his face. "You look like you just see your first Trans Am," Michael said.

"Better." He plopped himself on the couch next to Michael. "Tina just kissed me."

Michael looked at him in distaste. "Willingly?"

That earned him a punch on the arm. "Yes, fool. She pecked me on the cheek because I kicked some kids' asses who bullied her and I drove her home."

"My hero." Michael commented sarcastically. Larry just shrugged and watched TV with him. After a while Michael said, "You know Doug likes her, right?"

"Don't remind me."

"Isn't it funny that you always make a move to a girl when someone else likes the girl?"

"Oh crap; please don't tell me that you're still hung up on the whole Jackie thing!" Larry said in disbelief. "She was easy, get over it."

"No, I was talking about Doug." Michael said. "I don't give a shit about Jackie." Larry gave him a look. "I'm telling you the truth! Why everyone keeps telling me that I still like Jackie?"

"What's got your panties in a twist?"

Michael went silent and glanced over the kitchen where his parents were talking very quietly, "Mom is upset about Sean. After the accident in the pool, and then among other things, she wants us to go back to New York." Larry looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? When?"

"Soon." He looked at the kitchen, annoyed. "They really don't give a shit about me. All they care is Sean."

Larry seemed to ponder something, "Hmmm…"

"Look, I love my little brother. But you know he can be a little shit sometimes?!"

"Yeah…" He looked at the Chief and his wife. They were in deep discussion, and talking quietly. Definitely didn't want the children to hear it. But Larry wasn't their child, so he decided to go to the kitchen.

"Where the hell you're going?"

Larry shrugged. "I'm going to grab some pop. Do you want one?" He walked away without waiting for his answer. Martin and Ellen stopped talking when Larry appeared in the kitchen. "Hey, don't mind me. I'm just taking some pops." He said as he opened the fridge.

Martin narrowed his eyes, "Larry, we're having a private conversation."

"But I'm thirsty."

"Grab what you need and get the hell outta the kitchen."

Larry raised his hands in a mock surrender. "Okey-dokey."

Ellen stopped him, "Actually… I need something from you."

Larry shrugged, "Name it."

"You're not gonna like it." Larry stared at his host-parents.

He didn't like the sound of her tone.

# \-----------------------------------

Although the house on top of the hill was really big, a lot of people mentioned that they didn't like the architectural design of the house. The house was really big and yet it looked ghostly and cold. Especially when the house had a historical tale about it; it used to own by an Admiral back in 19th century. When he went missing during a sea adventure, the government took over the house and it had been used for every official in Amity for 100 years.

When Larry Vaughn Senior, the mayor of Amity, the current resident of the house opened his door, he was surprised to see his only son standing in front porch with a sour face.

"Larry! Son!"

Larry grimaced to see his dad, "Hello father dear." He didn't like the idea of talking to his father, the mayor. "I've come bearing news."


	13. C-C-Changes

"Can I bring this?" Sean asked his mother in the kitchen as he showed his Atari game console.

"I don't know, you have to ask your brother." Ellen glanced at his younger son.

Sean walked into the living room where there were many boxes everywhere. Michael and Larry were putting some stuff into the boxes and taped them. Larry frowned to see a National Geographic magazine with a Great White shark on the cover, on top of magazine stack.

"Ugh." Larry looked at the cover. "Why do you have this?" Michael snatched the magazine from Larry's hand and immediately hid it inside his shirt. Larry frowned to see his behavior. "What gives?"

"Shhh!" He hissed at Larry.

"Don't 'shhh' me, jerk. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later, 'kay?"

Larry made a face and then shook his head. He continued putting many items into the boxes.

"Mikey, can I have this?" Sean showed the Atari console. Michael looked at the console and was about to say no when he saw Sean was pouting. He sighed and nodded.

"Sure, kid."

Sean smiled and ran upstairs to his room to pack.

"That's very generous of you – giving your video game to the brat?" Larry commented; he glanced at Ellen who was going back and forth between the living room and the kitchen, busying herself.

"He needs it more than I do. I don't think I would have time to play Pong anyway."

"Hmm. Pong sucks. I have Space Invaders. And you're not allowed to borrow the game."

"I will cry in my sleep." Mike deadpanned while stuffing some bubble wraps.

Michael and Larry's relationship were more like bantering siblings nowadays. Michael didn't like the idea that he had to move to Larry's house while his parents and little brother taking some time off from the Amity island by visiting his mom's parents in New Jersey. But he had no choice if he wanted to stay and attend school here on the island. And Larry himself didn't like the idea that he had to move back to his parents' house – he was 18, he could move out from his house. But for the sake of Michael and he needed to finish high school first, he'd stay with the Mayor. Martin and Ellen have decided that during their trip, Michael should stay with Vaughn's family.

Larry Senior seemed happy that his son was coming back to his house, and he had no problem taking Michael under his roof.

"Sonofabitch!"

Both Michael and Larry heard Marty swore loudly outside the house. He was fixing the truck and seemed to encounter some problems. They heard some banging and then it went quiet.

Larry looked at Michael, "Your folks are gonna drive all the way to Jersey?"

Michael shook his head, "No. They're gonna take a ferry back to the mainland, and take a train to Jersey."

"What's it like? Jersey?"

"I've been there few times. It's nice. I went there last Hannukah. Plenty of old buildings, good chicken wings…" Michael shrugged. "If you avoid the Jersey Shore, I am sure there will be no sharks."

Larry didn't respond, just pursed his lips and continued packing.

"This sucks, man." Larry said. Michael just grunted in agreement. "Look, I like your little brother. But this is kinda drastic, don't you think?"

Michael sighed and taped one of the boxes. "I have no say about this." He stood up and carried few boxes. "Mom and dad think that this trip would be good for Sean. Giving him a chance to reboot himself, you know?" He walked out from the room.

Larry thought that when the Brody's leaving for two weeks before the school starts, they should have a party here.

**A week later…**

There was no goodbye party or something like that. Martin thought they would be back anyway from their trip after Sean's recovery. After all, they'd consider this island as their home now. Even with Sean's condition, they would be back… right?

Martin watched the people who came to their house to say goodbye. Ellen couldn't stop crying and kept saying "this is only temporary". She couldn't stop hugging Michael and kissing his face, and he let her do that. Ellen said to him over and over to be "good" and "be nice" to Vaughn's family these last weeks of summer. Martin hugged Michael very tight and whispered that they would be back. Michael said, "Say hi to grandma and grandpa from me."

Michael's friends were also there; like Tina, Brooke, Doug, Andy, Bob, Timmy, and Patrick. Lucy wasn't there. Andy shook Martin's hand, hugged Ellen, and mushed Sean's hair. "We're gonna miss you, kiddo."

"I'm gonna miss you, dorky face!" Sean hugged Andy so tight.

The family took turns hugging and saying goodbyes to their friends. Vaughn talked quietly to Martin. "Just come back and take that Sheriff position again."

Martin looked at his wife who was crying and hugging Michael and Larry. "We'll see." They shook hands. "Thanks for letting Michael stay with you." Vaughn nodded.

Martin, Ellen, and Sean climbed into their truck and waved goodbye. Michael waved goodbye to his family sadly. Ellen blew him a kiss and cried at the same time. Sean waved goodbye – this would be good change scenery for him. Martin pursed his lips, waved, and turned the ignition. Michael stood watching the truck drove away, leaving dust.

He missed his family already.

Andy put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Cheer up Mikey. They will be back. In the meantime, we'll take care of you!"

Michael pushed Andy away jokingly. "I feel abandoned right now. You have to cheer me up."

Brooke clapped her hands, "Cheeseburgers and milkshakes at Sharkey's?"

Everyone yelled in agreement and was ready to leave when Vaughn called out to his son and Michael. "Larry, Mikey – can you come here for a second?"

Larry gritted his teeth but didn't want to make a scene in front of his friends, so he walked towards his father. Michael was behind him.

"Yes?" Larry said disgruntledly.

"I was going to ask you both to have dinner at home, but it seems you're going with your friends… So," He pulled out his wallet and took some money and put it inside Larry's shirt pocket. "Take your friends to eat, my treat."

"I don't need –"

"Thank you, Mr. Vaughn. We really appreciate it." Michael held Larry's arm and pressed a little. "And thank you for welcoming me to stay in your home. I am very thankful."

"You are a family, Mikey." Vaughn patted the boy on his shoulder. "So have fun, but don't forget to be back around 11." He nodded to Larry, "Remember that, son."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Larry mock saluted him.

Vaughn climbed into his car and drove away. Larry watched his father's car disappear into the hills, and then he turned around facing his friends, "We have an empty house, no parents, and annoying little brother…." He paused. "LET'S HAVE A PARTY!"


	14. Summer Lovin'

Larry took a huge bite from his burger and chewed loudly, "Man! This hit the spot!" His friends were sitting at the same table at the diner downtown, and enjoying their food and milkshakes – Tina frowned watching him eating like a pig. Bob was sitting next to him, also chewing his French fries and slurped his thick milkshake. Everyone nodded in agreement; they were so hungry after smoking all those weeds at Brody's house.

Andy shook his head while trying to talk and eat at the same time, "I feel bad for you Mikey. You know you don't have to stay with this loser." He pointed to Larry. "You can stay with me until your parents get back."

Michael shrugged, "Believe me, I'd love to. It's been hell living with this jerk face. The guy just came in and never left, mom felt guilty so she fed him, and he never left." Tina and Brooke giggled while eating their burgers and salads. "So I think it's best for me to stay with him, 'cause I expect his parents to feed me too."

"I'm right here!" Larry yelled, and everyone laughed. "Don't forget I paid for all of these."

"Courtesy of the Mayor." Bob chimed in. "I don't mind getting free food."

"Maybe you should stay at my house instead of me. You'd get free food all the time." Larry had finished eating and put his cigarette in his mouth. He wasn't going to light it, but Tina already took the cigarette off his mouth. "Hey!"

"We're still eating, doofus. Later, will 'ya?"

Larry didn't say anything, but he stared at her with his intense eyes, and then put another cigarette to his mouth, which Tina promptly took it away from his mouth again. "Quit it, girl."

"Don't you have enough from back at Mikey's house?"

"That's different, babe."

"Don't call me babe." Larry stuck his tongue out and threw her a piece of fry. He grinned when Tina looked at him in disbelief. Tina narrowed her eyes, and then threw a piece of lettuce from her salad. Larry shot his eyebrows upward.

Everyone looked at their interaction intently: Doug looked confused. Brooke scooted away from Tina; because she could sense there was going to be some sort of explosion next. Bob stared at them with wide eyes, not really understanding what was going on. Andy looked at them both like he was watching a tennis match. Timmy chewed his burger without care. Patrick looked at Larry like he just found out about Atlantis. Michael just rolled his eyes.

"Larry…" He warned.

"Babe," Larry said and popped his lips together. He grinned and then dipped a French fry in tomato ketchup, and then he flicked it. A glob of ketchup landed on Tina's nose, and it drips to the table. Everyone looked at the scene with wide eyes, but they held their laughter.

"Uh-oh…" Andy said.

Tina stood up as she wiped the offending glob from her nose. Brooke squealed as she scooted closer to Timmy.

"You're dead, Vaughn." Tina narrowed her eyes, while Larry was grinning widely. She grabbed a bottle of mustard and then squirted the content onto his hair.

Everyone burst into laughter, especially when Larry grabbed a handful of fries and then threw them to Tina.

"Food fight!" Bob yelled.

Everyone started to grab their food and threw them to their friends while laughing and squealing. Timmy tried to avoid any kind of food while still chewing. Brooke and Tina were squirting some ketchup and mustard to the boys, while the boys were throwing some ice chips and fries to the girls.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The teens stopped with what they were doing when the owner of the diner came out from the kitchen looking very angry. The diner was a mess after the food fight and other customers were staring at them with anger.

"Uhh… Having a lunch?" Larry offered. Other teens giggled and snorted.

"GET OUT! I don't care if you're the Mayor's son, I want them to arrest you all if you're still here!"

Larry shrugged and put some money on the table, while his friends were snickering. "This place stinks anyway!" They clambering out from the diner while laughing and ran towards the beach. Brooke and Tina were holding hands while running. The boys were laughing and running to their cars which parked near the beach. They were sticky from the ketchup and mustards and everything. Timmy was still chewing while running.

"Hey, let's go to The Peterson's home and use their swimming pool! The whole family is on the mainland." Andy said while running.

The teens yelled in agreement.

_______________________

Andy jumped into the swimming pool while yelling "Canon ball!"

The water splashed everyone and the girls shrieked. The teens were swimming and playing around at Len Peterson's swimming pool. They didn't care that the water turned murky from the dirt and the food. Nobody likes Len Peterson, so they didn't care that they were trespassing his home. Tina was laughing along with Brooke. She felt… free after what happened more than a month ago. She felt like she could be herself again, hanging out with her friends, and do normal things again before the school starts.

The girls didn't bring any swimsuits so they were wearing their bras and underwear. The boys wolf-whistled them but the girls just stuck out their tongues. The boys were wearing their shorts and underwear as well. Timmy and Douglas were wearing their tighty-whities but they didn't care. Larry broke into Len Peterson's cabinet and took some cigars and few glasses of bourbon. Andy was eating a sandwich he stole from the refrigerator and ate it in the pool.

"This is life…" Michael sat on the edge of the pool, smoking a cigar with Larry next to him, and then he coughed violently which made everyone laughed. Tina was sitting next to Larry, drinking a glass of bourbon and then she made a face.

"Ugh, yuck!"

Larry laughed and took her glass, and then finished the drinking.

The teens were either sitting on the edge of the pool or swimming leisurely.

"Maybe we should have the party here. I saw a pool table inside the house." Douglas said.

"No, we can't do that. They're coming home tonight. So we better skedaddle after this." Andy answered with a mouth full of sausages. He raided the pantry and took so many foods.

Patrick was floating around and watching the sky. He didn't feel like having a party, but it would be great to keep his mind busy from Lucy. Michael was still blowing smokes from the cigar. Douglas held his own cigar and then he stood up and spoke with a faux-British accent, "I'd say good chaps, it is wise to leave this vestibule before the sun set so we won't leave any suspicion!"

"We better buy some beers and some snacks first. And then call Bo to get some weeds." Patrick said. He then dived a bit and resurfaced. "I can call him, but we need some money."

"Yeah, we can all pitch in," Brooke said. "I'll get the beers and maybe we can get a keg." The teens agreed. "How many people do you think we should invite?"

"Just us, and maybe few others like the skaters and the surfers. So no more than twenty, okay?" Michael said. "That includes the girls as well!"

"Charge them 2 bucks per cup if we're getting a keg. Freshmen should pay 4 bucks." Andy said.

"We can make some jello shots or something." Timmy offered. "Or some brownies."

"SPECIAL BROWNIES!" Everyone yelled, and then laughed.

"Well, I better grab something to drink first before we bolt. The bourbon tastes like horse piss!" Tina said which made everyone laughed. She stood up and ran inside. Larry looked behind and glanced to his friends who were playing with themselves. He then stood up and followed her inside.

Andy and Michael exchanged some looks and then shook their heads together.

_______________________

Inside, Tina grabbed a glass of water in the kitchen when Larry strolled in. They were only wearing their undergarments, and they were standing in the kitchen that didn't belong to them. Tina smiled at him, "Wanna a glass of water?"

Larry didn't answer but he stared at Tina, who was only wearing a bra and underwear. Tina went quiet when she saw him staring at him. She put the glass in the kitchen sink and looked away; her heart was beating so fast and her cheeks felt warm.

"Tina…" Larry said.

"I think we should leave if we want to have that party at Mikey's house…" Tina turned around and faced the sink. Larry walked towards her and stood behind her. His hand slowly touched her bra strap and then came down to her back. She shuddered and closed her eyes when his hand touched her waist. His fingers ghostly touched her warm skin and she sighed. Her head leaned back to his chest, and Larry kissed her neck. He wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her closer to his. His mouth left her neck and went to her ear, and then back to her cheek. She turned around and looked at Larry. Larry was looking down at her with some sort of love expression or something, she couldn't tell. "What are you doing?"

Larry swallowed, "I don't know…"

Tina put her hand on his cheek and then she kissed him softly. He kissed her back and pulled her closer.

They really didn't know what they were doing. They only felt this magnetic attraction towards each other, and neither knew what they would do next except surrender and let nature take its course. They've been through a lot this past month; with the heartbreak, the trauma, and the pain. They needed this; this closeness and… whatever it was.

When they pulled away for air, Tina chuckled a bit. Larry also chuckled nervously.

"What are we gonna tell the others?" Tina asked while looking at him in the eyes.

Larry shook his head, "I rather not tell them yet…" He looked at her and said in a serious tone. "Doug likes you."

Tina looked at him and then burst out laughing. "I am so sorry. Doug? Oh, I like him too."

"What?" Larry frowned. He pulled her closer again. "Should I be jealous?"

Tina didn't answer. She just kissed him again. When they stopped kissing, Tina whispered to his ear, "Let's just see what happens, okay? I don't want to make everyone excited or angry."

"Okay…"

He smiled and kissed her again. Tina thought he looked very handsome, smiling like that.

She didn't think about Eddie at all.

_______________________

Andy looked at the house and then glanced to Michael, who was still smoking his cigar. He nudged him and asked in a whisper tone, "They've been a while inside. What do you think they're doing right now?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "I really don't want to know. Let's keep this quiet, okay? Don't want to freak everyone out."

Andy watched the others swimming around and then said, "Larry is such a bastard. He gets all the ladies."

Michael scoffed. "For some reason, girls like jerks."

"I need to get laid tonight at the party, or I'm gonna scream," Andy said. "You better invite all the hot cheerleaders and surfers, Mikey."

Michael nodded and looked at his cigar; he started to like smoking. "The Mayor is not gonna be happy about this."

They both chuckled heartily.


End file.
